Crossroads - Between a Mermaid and a Princess
by Fox McCloude
Summary: Seeking to relax for a bit, Ash has gone on a small vacation with his two best female friends aboard a cruiser to the Alola region. However, Misty and Serena want to use this time not just to enjoy themselves, but also to get Ash to make a very important decision: which of the two he will choose? PokéShipping-AmourShipping? Sequel to Friends and Rivals Alike.
1. All aboard!

**Crossroads – Between a Mermaid and a Princess.**

 **By Fox McCloude.**

 **Disclaimer:** Pokémon and all related characters belong to Satoshi Tajiri and Nintendo. All rights reserved.

 **Note:** It's recommended to have read "Friends and Rivals Alike" previously.

 **Part 1:** All aboard!

* * *

 _ **Vermillion City port…**_

Ash Ketchum was starting to get impatient. As he stared at the device on his hand, a handheld, state-of-the-art, blue and silver video-transceiver, a gift for his last birthday, he had to resist the temptation to push the Call button. Excellent as a mobile phone, music player and endless other applications, yet at the time, all it was good for was seeing the time on the digital clock. After all, he had an appointment in that place, and for once in his life, he decided to come half an hour ahead… only for him to wait for around ninety minutes after the scheduled time.

"The ship's gonna set sail in half an hour, where are those two?" He wondered aloud, looking around.

"Pikachu." The electric rodent in his shoulder shrugged, having a similar boredom expression in his face.

Tired of waiting while standing, Ash went to seat on a nearby bench, stretched out his arms and reclined himself on his back, still waiting for his two female friends to come to their appointment. Since in the past two years he had earned some prestige and in a way a bit of a celebrity status in the Kanto region, so when he walked towards the port of Vermillion City he chose to wait in a relatively empty area. At the time, he was wearing a sleeveless, hooded vest, and hid his brown eyes behind a pair of elongated, triangle-shaped sunshades (pretty similar to Squirtle's) and his messy, black hair partially hidden below one of his many, trademark baseball caps. The vest was blue, with white horizontal lines, matching his fingerless gloves and boots. He wore black pants, and on each wrist he wore a bracelet with a very valuable object. The left one was white, and it had a rhomboidal-shaped yellow crystal, whereas the right one was black, with a small marble-like stone, shinning like a rainbow and with what seemed like a small black leaf inside, a Mega Key Stone.

"Unbelievable. Considering what I went through to come here, I hope those two don't think of standing me up." He muttered in annoyance, removing his shades for a bit, since there weren't too many people around. However, right then, as if responding to his thought, a pair of feminine hands covered his eyes.

"Guess who?" Two female voices asked in unison.

Of course, he knew exactly who they were, and also that each of the hands belonged to a different girl. He just let out a small chuckle, and stood up turning around to face them. His two "best female friends", if he could call them that way, and the traveling companions with whom he definitely grew the closest during his journeys. Misty Waterflower, the Cerulean Gym Leader, and Serena Yvonne Gabena, Pokémon Performer-Coordinator from the Kalos region. The years definitely had had their effect on Ash, since the boy took his time to admire the two beauties before him.

Misty was the taller of the two (almost as tall as him) and had a slender, yet athletic and curvaceous figure. She was wearing a yellow blouse, with green straps baring her midriff, and two X-like marks on the chest, with matching shorts and knee-high boots. Her red-orange hair was just a little bit longer than he remembered, and she had done it on a very particular style: she had curved the lower bangs forward underneath her ears. Her aqua green eyes shimmered with a little flirtatious spark at the time.

Serena, on the other hand, was shorter in height and had a build slimmer than Misty's, though she was no less pretty. Out of the two, she had lighter skin and her facial traits were more delicate, giving her a more innocent demeanor. Her honey-colored hair was tied on a high ponytail, with two large bangs framing her face and blue eyes. Her outfit consisted of a black blouse with a white collar and a red miniskirt, her legs covered in black, thigh-high stockings and brown leather boots. A blue ribbon was tied on her collar.

"Well, about time you girls showed up." He finally said.

"Sorry if we made you wait, Ash." Serena apologized.

"I'll say, I'm quite surprised you came here early." Misty added. "We were trying to look nice for you, you know."

Next up, Pikachu jumped off of his trainer's shoulder, right into the girls' arms. They too seemed quite happy to see him, as they affectionately patted the electric rodent's head.

"Hi, Pikachu, good to see you too." Serena said.

"You look really good, seems like Ash hasn't lost his touch, has he?" Misty added.

"Pikachu." The mouse happily nodded.

"Well, if we're done with the greetings, can we get on the ship?" Ash asked, retrieving his friend to return him to his usual spot. "That's why we came here, isn't it?"

"Sure." Misty pulled out of her bag the three tickets for the ship, giving Ash and Serena one each. Talking to the former, she added. "Don't go losing it, you'll need it when we return."

"You really trust me, don't you?" Ash asked with a half-sarcastic smile. "So are you finally telling him were we're going for this little vacation?"

"You'll love it." Misty said. "The Alola region is a tropical paradise, I heard the beaches are the best in the world in this time of the year. And just imagine the Water-type Pokémon native to that region."

"I heard from Professor Sycamore many Pokémon in Alola have developed differently than the way we know." Serena added. "I'd love to take one if I can."

Ash couldn't help but smile a little. He had already been before in the Alola region. Even though at first he had just gone for a vacation with his mother, he decided to stay for a much, much longer season. For some, the idea of staying at school during holidays would sound like a nightmare. But for him, with everything he learned, it was well worth it. Plus, he made some new friends, and it was in that place he got his Z-Ring, although perhaps he was so busy learning, he didn't take the time to relax as much as he should have. This was his chance to do so properly.

"Well then, shall we go, Mr. Ash?" Misty said, as she clung to Ash's right arm. Upon noticing Serena's shocked expression, she added immediately. "What? He's got an arm for each of us, doesn't he?"

"Oh, yes, of course." Serena quickly followed suit and grabbed his left arm. "Shall we go?"

Ash didn't know if he should feel lucky or uncomfortable, so he finally just sighed and started walking towards the ship they were supposed to board. What were this two girls up to? Unsure as to why, a mental image of Brock suddenly popped in his head, maybe he would have envy of his current situation. In fact, despite the fact that there weren't many people around the port at the time, the black-haired young man did notice they were attracting some gazes from other boys walking close by, who seemed quite envious. It was no surprise, considering he had two lovely girls clinging to his arms, and both of them making no effort to hide how happy they felt of being close to him.

The trio walked towards their cabin almost immediately. Took them long enough to arrive, since this S.S. Anne was a lot bigger than the one Ash and Misty had travelled in before, during their first journey through Kanto (and they hoped it was safer too). The trip on the cruiser would last an entire week, until they reached their destination: Melemele Island. While Misty and Ash unloaded their baggage and had an argument over the beds (fortunately, the cabin had capacity for five, and they were only three), Serena took the pamphlet with the full details of the prize Misty had won. Aside from the three-week stay in Melemele Island's best hotel, there were several different events during the cruiser, some of them even with special guests, so there was no way any of them would get bored during the journey. These included, but weren't limited to: exhibition Pokémon battles, with the chance of winning prizes, a rock concert featuring the Unova Gym leader, Roxie and her band "Koffing and the Toxics", a fashion show featuring Elesa and Valerie, and a cosplay contest. This last one seemed to attract Serena's attention, she felt like she wanted to try it.

"Well then, what do you guys want to do first?" Misty asked. "I don't know about you, but I'd love to go for a swim."

"Sounds good, but in my hurry coming here, I was unable to get my Pokémon to have their routine checkup." Ash said. "Is there a Pokémon Center on board?"

"There's one on the third deck." Serena replied, looking at the ship's map and pointing it for Ash to see. With the size of that ship, it would be easy getting lost.

"Alright, I'll go over there first and then I'll meet up with you two."

"Hey, Ash. Since you're about to go over there, could you take mine too?" Misty asked, and without even waiting for the response, she threw her bag with her Pokéballs at him.

"Hey!"

"Even better, you can take Serena's Pokémon too, don't you agree?" The redhead continued.

"Misty, you can't be serious." Ash frowned slightly.

"C'mon, is it too hard to make it for us?" Misty asked, turning towards Serena to discreetly wink at her, without Ash noticing. The Performer-Coordinator quickly got the message. She took her own bag, but instead of throwing it, she just politely handed it to him.

"Please, Ash, could you take them?" Serena asked.

Ash wanted to open his mouth to protest and telling the two girls to take their Pokémon by themselves, but his heart melted before Serena's sweet face, there was no way he could say no. Plus, Misty asking "favors" of him was a notable improvement of the treatment she had always given him since they met, and he'd gotten used to it. He would only protest out of inertia now.

"OK, I'll do it. Just try not to have too much without me before I join you, alright?" He said before leaving the cabin.

Misty let out a small giggle. That comment from Ash made it evident that he was perceptive enough to realize their intentions. That was positive, after all, she always felt irritated at how oblivious he could be when they first met. She definitely liked this mature, more attractive Ash, but he was still him, that was what mattered.

"Let's see which one he'll like the most."

Misty placed across the bed some of the bathing suits she had brought along for the trip. Serena looked sideways at the redhead while she deliberated on which one she would wear. She had, amongst others, a light yellow bikini with a skirt and a red star on the top, another green and white striped one, and a red one-piece with white flowers.

"Did you really had to bring so many of those?" Serena asked.

"Like you're one to talk, with so many dresses you take along for your showcases." Misty replied. "I think we can both agree, we should give Ash something different to look at us for every once in a while, am I wrong?

"Good point." Serena said, giggling a little. She had only brought two swimsuits, but maybe following Misty's advice, she'd buy more while they were on the ship, or later when they reached Melemele Island. It seemed that their little "competition" had just begun.

* * *

 _ **On the deck, a couple hours later…**_

If was lucky for him that the ship had several Pokémon Centers on board, since on the way to the Vermillion port, Ash was challenged to several battles, and he wouldn't be able to say no. Nevertheless, out of fear of being late to his meeting with Misty and Serena, he couldn't go back to the center of town to get them for a proper checkup. None of them had suffered any severe injury, of course, but he knew by experience that he could never be too careful. Then again, the team he was carrying at the time consisted in full of several of his strongest Pokémon: aside from Pikachu, there was Charizard, Sceptile, Pidgeot, Tyranitar and Greninja. The last three had been relatively recent additions: the previous year, Ash took a small trip to Johto. On the way out of Pallet Town he had another hostile encounter with that angry Fearow and its Spearow flock (he was surprised that it _still_ held that grudge over a simple stone for so many years), but Pidgeot immediately came to his rescue. Not wanting to deal with this annoying bird ever again, Ash this time caught it and sent it to Professor Oak's ranch so the rest of his Pokémon could teach it some respect, and it worked. This also removed the scourge from the Pidgey and Pidgeotto in the zone, since without their leader to command them, the Spearow no longer felt as brave and they chose to fly away, giving the other birds their territory back, and Pidgeot the chance to come back to his trainer full time. An once he arrived in Johto, when he passed through Route 46, he didn't expect to run into an old friend: the Larvitar he had cared for many years before had grown into a large and powerful Tyranitar, but he still recognized him after so long, and when Ash was about to say goodbye, he wouldn't let him go until he had let him come along. Just like before, Ash couldn't say no. Lastly, with Greninja, it was thanks to Serena, who somehow met him in Kalos and brought him with her for Ash as an early birthday gift. The trainer wasn't just happy to see him, he was also surprised to see him in his Ash-Greninja form, as his transformation had apparently become "permanent", somehow finding the way to tap into his inner power even without Ash's presence, albeit they could still synchronize for an additional power boost if needed. This was good, considering that the rest of the members of his team had received Mega Stones, and Ash had decided it was time to up his game to a new level.

Aside from his own Pokémon, Ash had the chance to take a peek into the teams of his two friends. Serena had brought along the five partners he saw on her on their last meeting: Delphox, Pancham, Sylveon, Roselia and Froslass. On the other hand, Misty's included Starmie, Politoed, Corsola, Azumarill and, not lacking on big guns, Gyarados. Both of the girls had intentionally kept an empty slot in case they found (and they hoped to) a Pokémon of their liking in Alola to take it as a souvenir.

At the moment, the trio of friends was at one of the exterior swimming pools on the ship. The general checkup for all their Pokémon would take at least a couple hours more, which meant they could relax until then. Serena was standing by ship's railing, enjoying the sea breeze stroking on her face. The performer-coordinator wore a light pink, one-piece, with darker pink frills around her waist and a ribbon on her chest. Ash, who was only wearing a pair of knee-length shorts, dark blue with white Pokéball logos on each side, decided to rest on one of the chairs, listening to his favorite music on his player. Finally, Misty was standing on the pool's springboard, ready to take a dive from there. She wore a bikini with a yellow top and a blue bottom.

"Look out down below!" The redhead called out before taking the plunge, making a clean and stylish entrance into the water. A few seconds later she swam back up to the surface. "Hey, Ash, won't you come in? Come on, we have to enjoy ourselves."

"Misty's right, Ash." Serena added, but Ash didn't even budge. Maybe the earphones had something to do with it, so she carefully removed one of them. "Hello? Earth calling Ash?"

"Maybe later, it was a long walk back and forth from there." The young man replied.

"Aw, come on, don't be such a party pooper." Misty said as she came out of the water for a bit. "We're on vacation, after all."

"What's the hurry? The trip's just begun." Ash replied.

Misty placed her hands akimbo and burrowed her mouth, while Serena giggled a tad nervously. They both found very strange that Ash wanted to rest instead of enjoying some time with them. While in fact, partly it was true that he was a bit tired for the battles he fought during the morning before they boarded the ship, another reason he wanted to remain reclining on that chair had more to do with his two female friends. Their daily clothes surely made them look extremely pretty, but seeing them both in their bathing suits, admiring how much they had grown over the years… he couldn't help but wanting to eat a bit of the eye candy they were giving him. Especially Misty, having just come out of the water and her hair all wet, he couldn't deny that she looked… sexy, maybe? Of course, him being who he was, he had learned to keep it hidden under a "clueless-kid-who-doesn't-notice-his-surroundings" façade (which actually started being real, but over time, it became just a mask to keep his reputation).

"And for the very same reason, we can't waste any second." Misty insisted, deliberately leaning forward so Ash could have an ample view of her cleavage.

In response, Ash turned his head to the side, although his sunshades hid that he actually moved the eye to the corner so as to take a little peek. Not wanting to give up so easily, Misty gave her partner a gaze, as if asking something, to which Serena replied with a nod, as if saying "let's do it". They both stepped away for a bit, with Misty specifically walking towards her bag, and pulling out something without letting Ash see what it was, and then went back to the water, never facing towards him.

"Alright, if you're not coming into the water… I'll take the water to you!" She exclaimed, turning around and revealing…

 _ **SPLAAAAAAAASSSHH!**_

"HEY!" The black-haired young man yelled upon receiving two water streams right to his face. Misty had pulled out of her bag a two water soakers, and discreetly filled them up inside the pool.

"Serena, back me up!" Misty called out, as she threw one of the soakers at her, while still firing at Ash with the other. The Kalosian girl quickly joined in the fun and began spraying the water on him too.

"Hey, no fair, it's you two against me!" Ash yelled, trying to cover himself from the water streams as best as he could, while the two girls just laughed.

Unfortunately for them, they quickly ran out of ammo, since the guns were of high pressure but low capacity, although it was enough to leave the boy all soaked to the bone, and both girls, especially Misty, seemed quite satisfied with themselves. Of course, these actions would have a reaction from him.

"So you wanna play?" He said as he stood up, dripping a little. "Alright, let's play."

He immediately ran off, first going after Misty for having started the game, while she dared him to try and catch her. At one point he almost succeeded, but Misty caught wind of his attempt, and stepped aside, causing him to trip over and fall nose first into the pool. She immediately high-fived with Serena, and they both waited for him to come back out.

"What am I gonna do with you girls?" He asked.

"C'mon, Ash, admit that was fun." Misty said.

"Yeah, for the two of you."

No matter if he tried to deny it on the outside, they could see that he too was enjoying himself, he felt like a kid again. As he came out of the water, the young man's stomach growled loudly, and both girls just had the more reason to laugh at him. That was their Ash, after.

"How about we go for something to eat?" Serena suggested. "We still have time before the checkup of our Pokémon is done, don't we?"

"Sounds good." Misty agreed. "What should we have? Hamburgers, a pizza?"

"Anything's just fine for me, I'm starving." Ash replied.

Misty immediately clung to the boy's arm. Serena took a little longer to get the clue, but she quickly followed suit, while the boy just rolled his eyes. Were they planning on making a habit of this? Well, it wasn't like he had any choice but to get used to it, so without further ado and with both of his female friends holding firm to his arms, he began walking, to the restaurant area. Since all of the expenses of the prize Misty had won included the food and general services aboard the ship and eventually at the hotel, if there was an all-you-can-eat buffet, he'd make sure to get as much as he could from it.

* * *

 _ **Restaurant area, a while later…**_

After changing clothes, the trio of friends went towards the zone with the food fair on the ship for lunch, each one going to a different stand. Ash ordered a triple cheese burger, with max-sized fries and soda. Misty chose a king-size pepperoni pizza with iced-tea, same size as Ash's soda. Serena came back with a regular-sized pasta and Caesar salad, and icy water for drink. As a shared dessert, they ordered a Banana Split from the ice-cream parlor with chocolate, vanilla and strawberry.

"Let's dig in!" Ash and Misty said in unison.

And they both started eating, or rather, devouring their lunches, while Serena just stared at them with a sweat drop behind her head, preferring to eat her pasta and salad calmly and slowly. She had seen Ash's voracious appetite firsthand, but she was also surprised at seeing that Misty was capable of eating at the same speed and in the same amounts as him. In fact, she had the feeling as if they were trying to out-eat the other, and finish their meals first. It was… weird, yet funny at the same time. At one point when Ash wasn't looking, the redhead couldn't resist the temptation to snatch a few fries from Ash's tray, who managed to spot when these vanished into her mouth.

"Hey, those were mine!" The boy protested.

"You still have plenty." Misty replied. "You snooze, you lose."

"Oh yeah?" In retaliation, Ash snagged a (very large) slice of Misty's pizza, managing to get into his mouth over half of it in a single chomp. And it had several big pepperoni slices on top.

"Hey!" Misty seemingly got mad at this, Ash, still chowing down replied with something that sounded like "We're even now." Of course, that didn't subside her rage. "No fair, that pepperoni is worth more than your fries, give it back!"

"Come get it!" Ash replied, keeping the slice away from Misty, while she struggled to retrieve it.

"Hey, you guys, please calm down!" Serena cried out, leaving her food for a time, worried that they might start fighting each other or something.

The final result was Misty giving three large bites on Ash's burger and eating over half of his fries, and in return, he ate at least one third of the redhead's pizza, all the while with Serena trying to get them to stop, until they sat back, broke into laughter and said something about the "old times", and how it had been so long since they last did that, and they missed it. Serena stared at them in confusion, until they explained that "this was their way to show affection when they started traveling together", and it was fun to remember. The Performer-Coordinator felt a little more at ease, even though inside she was intrigued; maybe a part of her wanted to know more about the time Misty and Ash traveled together, before he later went to Kalos.

Having finished the main courses, they quickly grabbed their spoons for the ice-cream. Just like before, Ash and Misty seemed to be competing on which of the two managed to eat the bigger part; in fact, Serena was barely able to taste the chocolate part, as this was the favorite of the other two and each seemed determined to finish it first, so she had to make do with vanilla and strawberry. Not that she minded, of course, since she was not as much of a glutton as her two friends.

Not too far from them, at the juice bar, there was a certain young woman from Sinnoh who, unbeknownst to Misty and Serena, had also made contact with the trainer from Pallet Town a few years ago. Once upon a time, her teal, short hair and her boyish choice of clothing would make her easy to mistake for a boy. Now, even though she still liked wearing long slacks, she had changed her sweater for a sleeveless blouse, making it more evident that she was female. She was enjoying an iced tea by the bar, looking at her surrounding through her brown shades as she pondered on her own future plans. After that small vacation, she was planning to challenge the Kanto League.

After a few minutes, she apparently heard what sounded like a fight over food, and upon turning around, about two tables away from her, she saw a boy her age with jet-black messy hair, arguing with a red-haired girl over the remains of a large ice cream they had eaten along with their other female friend. At first she didn't pay much attention to them, until suddenly she lifted her sunshades, just to make sure her eyes weren't playing tricks on her.

"Ash? Could it be, is that him?"

She had to make sure, so she quickly finished her drink in a single sip (having to put up with the cold brain) and leaving a small tip on the bar, she walked towards that table. Misty and Serena had no idea on how much potential competition they would have had, if they had accompanied Ash during all of his Pokémon journeys.

"No fair, you ate more chocolate than me." Misty protested.

"Oh yeah? Who ended up eating more vanilla? Not me, I'm sure of it." Ash replied.

"Please, calm down, both of you." Serena begged, trying to act as a mediator of sorts. "How about we just order another one?"

"Excuse me, am I interrupting?" Suddenly a female voice spoke up (sounding almost as tomboyish as Misty). "I knew it, I knew it was you, Ash."

"Eh? I'm sorry… do I know you?" The brunet asked. In response, the girl removed her shades.

"Don't you remember? It's me, Angie. Angie from Solaceon Town."

"Angie?"

Ash brain cogs took a while to click in (so many people he had met during his journeys, it would be nigh impossible to remember everyone). However, after a few seconds he finally recognized her: it was that girl from Solaceon, the daughter of a married couple who ran a Pokémon Daycare house. And looking her now, she seemed quite… different. Different in the sense that now there was no way he'd mistake her for a boy.

"Hey there, I almost… didn't recognize you. Owwwww!" That was all Ash managed to say, he suddenly felt someone was pinching him in the leg under the table, and he had to grit his teeth so as not to scream.

"Ash… won't you introduce us to your… friend?" Misty was smiling, but it was a 'if you scream I'll kill you' type of smile. Who else could have been?

"Yeah, sure." Ash said, still feeling the pain. Then he whispered to Misty. "You didn't have to pinch me _that_ hard."

"Nice to meet you." Serena said, either she didn't notice what happened between Ash and Misty, or actively chose to ignore it for peace's sake. She then stood up and extended her hand towards "My name is Serena."

"And I'm Misty." The redhead added. "So, tell us… Angie, where do you know Ash from?"

"We met during a Summer Academy in Sinnoh." The teal-haired girl answered. "I still remember, Professor Rowan got mad at us for causing trouble."

"Yeah, and it usually was you who started." Ash replied, with a tinge of annoyance. "Or have you forgotten that you called me a big dummy?"

"Aw, come on, Ash, you still hold it against me for that?" Angie said, still smiling. "Anyway, what a surprise to meet you here."

"I just came because these two invited me." The boy confessed. "I won't deny, though, I needed a vacation."

"I see. So what have you done in the past years?" Angie said. "After we parted ways, I saw you competing on a few regional leagues, but after that I only heard… interesting rumors."

"Oh, you know, a bit of this, a bit of that, nothing out of the norm… Ow!" He felt Misty was pinching him on the leg again. "What was that for?!"

"Ash, you're underselling yourself." The redhead said. "Why don't you tell her the truth? Tell her you're a Kanto Battle Frontier Brain."

"Battle Frontier?" Angie inquired. "There's one of those Sinnoh that started very recently, but they say it's too hard, to the level of Elite Four members or even Champions."

"No kidding, you should see the one from Kanto." Misty confirmed. "They're very specialized battles, unusual challenges only for the best of trainers. Although it turns out, the Pallet Town Battle Coliseum also doubles an official Gym for Indigo League badges."

"Is that so?" Angie asked, smiling in excitement. "That's great, that means I'll have to challenge you one day."

"Challenge me?" Ash was a little surprised at this. "You're planning to take on the Indigo League?"

"After my vacations, yeah." Angie replied. "You have no idea how hard it was to convince my parents, but they finally relented, and I wanted to see something else than the Sinnoh region. Well, nice to see you, I guess we'll be meeting again soon."

"Hold on." Misty suddenly spoke. "If you're planning to take on the Kanto League, why wait?"

Ash turned toward her. Was she up to something?

"Why don't you do it right here?" The redhead suggested. "Who knows, you might even win your first Kanto League badge."

"Right here?" Angie stared in confusion. "Well, I do have my Pokémon with me, after all."

"Hey, Misty, what are you …? Owwwww, stop that, knock it off!"

"Angie, I don't know if you're aware of this, but since a couple years ago, we Gym Leaders in Kanto usually carry badges when we leave on journeys, in case we might run into a challenger." Misty explained. "You did know that, right, Ash?"

"Of course I know." Ash felt a little insulted.

That was one of the first rules in the manual he had to read when he agreed to let the Coliseum be built in Pallet Town. It was a twofold, since aside from the traditional Gym protocols, those he had to follow for Frontier challengers were separate, and he had to memorize them all. It was a bit of an annoyance, since he wasn't too fond of learning from books. He was more of "hands-on approach" type.

"Plus, there are battle arenas aboard the ship." Misty added. "We can make arrangements for an official Gym challenge. And Ash… you never back off from a challenge, do you?"

The boy squinted his eyes; that was a low blow. Asking Ash Ketchum that question was almost as like asking any other person if the water was wet. There was one thing he still didn't like of Misty even after all these years, and it was her ability to push his buttons. Then again, if it wasn't for that, maybe they wouldn't be friends. He had already his share of battles that day, but by that moment, his Pokémon should be rested and ready, one more wouldn't do harm.

"If he doesn't have a problem, I'll gladly take it." Angie clearly liked the offer. "What do you say, Ash? A battle, for old times' sake?"

"I cannot refuse that." Ash replied with determination. "Alright, just let me go get my Pokémon, and we'll meet at one of the battle arenas. One more thing, though: I don't want to brag, but I've never handed out a badge outside of the Coliseum, and I don't plan on doing it now."

"Who knows, maybe I could be the one who breaks that streak?" Angie winked at him in challenge. This gesture of course didn't go unnoticed by Misty and Serena, of course.

Saying goodbye to the trio, the new arrival went her own, while Ash decided to go to the Pokémon Center to get his team back, not without Misty reminding him to pick up her and Serena's Pokémon on the way back. He rolled his eyes: did they really think he'd leave them behind? Once they were alone, both of Ash's female friends sat at their table, and Misty, whose stomach seemingly still had room for more, ordered another ice cream. Serena, meanwhile, just stared in the direction Angie had left, and just on a simple hunch, decided to ask Misty "that" question.

"Hey, Misty… do you think that, maybe Angie…?"

"So you noticed too?" Misty said, to which Serena nodded. The two of them knew that look perfectly, since they had seen it before, in themselves and in several other girls… especially around Ash. There was no mistaking it. "You remember what we promised, don't you?"

"Of course." The Kalosian girl nodded firmly. "Angie seems like a nice girl, but if she tries to get close to Ash… we'll do what's necessary."

As a reminder of that "pact of love" they made, the Gym Leader and the Performer-Coordinator intertwined their pinky fingers. If they ran into another girl who had romantic intentions with Ash, they'd work together to keep her away. That was the rule.

* * *

 _ **Battle arenas aboard the ship, two hours later…**_

Since Ash was a prominent member of the Kanto Pokémon League, the preparations for this official challenge were much easier than he expected. They just had to talk to the staff in charge to set up an hour and a specific battle arena, and call Angie through the speakers to get her to show up. They were facing each other, at the battle arena number four under the third deck. It was an ample area, with enough room for trainers to fight without causing collateral damage or disturbances in the cruiser for the other passengers who wanted some peace and quiet to enjoy in their own vacations.

"This is an official battle for a Trichromatic Badge between Ash Ketchum, the Coliseum Gladiator from Pallet Town, and the challenger, Miss Angie from Solaceon Town." The referee overseeing the match declared. "The rules are as follows, the challenger will fight three one-on-one battles against the Gladiator, and she'll have to win at least one to earn the badge. Substitutions are not allowed for any of the trainers."

Angie thought it was strange that they set up these specific rules. If they were fighting three one-on-one battles, wouldn't it make more sense to fight to best two out of three? In that case, she seemed to have an overwhelming advantage. Although this handicap had its reason to be, it was in great part to even up the difficulty. This was something that Ash and his two female companions knew at the moment. While the Gym Leaders' rules dictated they had the right and partial duty to accept challenges even when they were outside of their Gyms (a way to take temporal leaves of absence and stay active so they wouldn't get shut down), the rumors said that Ash, despite having taking many challenges this way, never ever handed out a badge outside of the Coliseum. The answer as to why, the only ones who knew were Ash himself, his closest friends, and those who challenged him, whose only reply was always "you have to see it yourself".

Misty and Serena had a front row seat. None of them had seen Ash battling in person (only on TV) for a long time, and the two were particularly interested in seeing how much he had progressed since the last time they met. Pikachu was sitting with them, since Ash wasn't planning on using him, following the Gym battle rules. There was a motive it was called "Trichromatic Badge", and Angie was about to find out.

"This is going to be exciting." Misty said.

"Isn't Ash a little at disadvantage if she only has to win once?" Serena asked.

"Don't worry. If it comes to battles, there's no way he's going to lose now." The redhead assured. "The fact Ash has never handed out a badge out of the Coliseum is a record he can be proud of, and there's a good reason he has it. When he takes a leave, he usually goes off with his best team, or that's what our friends in common have told me."

"Hmm… is that true?" Serena asked Pikachu.

"Pikachu." The electric rodent nodded in confirmation.

As the only constant member of Ash's team since day one, Pikachu knew exactly why Ash had never lost a challenge outside of the Coliseum. Since its inception, whenever he took leaves of absence he always carried what some would call "the big guns", that is, the Pokémon exclusively reserved for the battles for the Determination Symbol. Thus, the trainers who challenged him outside were more often than not out of their league (literal and figuratively speaking) whenever they tried to get the badge out of him to spare themselves the journey to Pallet Town, only to find out they'd have to do it anyway. And the three members taking part for this battle were no exception.

"The first round begins!" The referee raised his hands. "Trainers, release your Pokémon now!"

"Sceptile, I choose you!" Ash threw his first Pokéball.

"Sceptile!" The Grass-type gecko-like Pokémon appeared on the field, placing his trademark twig in his mouth as usual.

"Grass-type." Angie recalled having seen Sceptile on TV, when Ash competed in the Sinnoh League. He managed (barely) to take down the Darkrai owned by the other guy. "Let's go, Toxicroak!"

"Croak!" The Poison/Fighting-type amphibian made his own entrance to the field. Upon seeing his opponent, he shivered slightly, but not out of fear; his ability, Anticipation, was alerting him of a potentially dangerous attack.

"START!"

"Toxicroak, Poison Sting!" Angie commanded, opening up with the first move.

"Croak!"

"Sceptile, counter with Bullet Seed!" Ash yelled from his side.

"Tile!"

Sceptile responded to Toxicroak's attack with his own, firing off from his mouth a barrage of green energy seeds. The purple poisonous darts collided in midair against them, and despite the type advantage they were unable to overcome them to reach Sceptile. Seeing that the ranged attack didn't work, Angie decided to go on melee combat.

"Toxicroak, X-Scissor!"

"Tox! ¡Toxi… croak!" Toxicroak crossed both hands and they glowed with a bright, light green energy, forming a pair of sharp blades, as he ran towards Sceptile.

"Sceptile, defend with Leaf Blade!" Ash called out.

At this command, the leaves on Sceptile's forearms extended and also glowed green, but instead a more intense green. Rather than rushing in to attack, he followed Ash's command to shield himself of the incoming charge, placing them in a crossed guard position in front of his body when Toxicroak approached with the X-Scissor. Rather than dodging, he blocked the enemy attack with his own, watching for the Bug-type attack to only hit the Leaf Blade. Like the previous attack, he avoided taking supereffective damage with sheer brute force, and Sceptile brusquely opened his arms forward to push his opponent backward. Angie was quite impressed, but she couldn't help but wonder, why was Ash on the defensive? The last time they met, his style was attacking first and asking second.

"Don't give in, Toxicroak, use Poison Jab!" Angie called out.

"Croak, croak!"

This time, Toxicroak engulfed his hands in a poisonous purple energy, and began punching jabs like a skilled boxer. Sceptile kept defending using Leaf Blade, even though he stepped back to avoid direct damage. This attack was much stronger, being the same type as its user. Ash finally decided he was done with evaluating his opponent, and when Toxicroak was ready to deliver a hook to the liver, he started his counterattack.

"Aerial Ace!"

With this, just as Toxicroak was about to punch him in the stomach, Sceptile vanished and reappeared behind him, his arms and legs leaving behind a white trail as he charged forward to hit him in the back. So this was the attack Anticipation alerted him from, now Angie would be ready for it.

"Toxicroak, use X-Scissor again!" The girl yelled.

"Toxicroak!"

The amphibian crossed his arms to form the blades and charged forward again, trying to press Sceptile with his attack, but the pattern began repeating itself: every time they seemed to corner him or got in good range for attacking, he used Aerial Ace to dodge and counterattack. Angie, determined to break it up, took her own initiative.

"Toxicroak, prepare Poison Jab, but hold it until I tell you!" She said.

Obeying his trainer, Toxicroak prepared the attack, but this time, he didn't charge forward. Ash commanded Sceptile to attack from a distance with Bullet Seed. While it wasn't a very effective attack, it still had notable power and Toxicroak felt it. Angie then called Toxicroak to charge forward, using the energy of the Poison Jab as a shield to deflect the seeds. Fighting his way through, Toxicroak managed to shorten the distance between him and his opponent. When Ash was about to pull off the Aerial Ace evasive maneuver yet again, Angie had her response in the ready.

"Turn around and strike upwards!" She yelled.

 _ **THUMP!**_ The right uppercut hit square on Sceptile's jaw, followed by a hook to the liver, which caused poisoning, for good measure. Before this would take its toll, Ash called for another Aerial Ace. Angie thought he would reappear again from behind, but he didn't: this time, he charged from the side. Knowing he couldn't waste a second and let the poison act up more than necessary, Ash decided to end the battle on the spot.

"Leaf Storm, Sceptile!"

Sceptile turned around and aimed with his style, firing of a huge leaf tornado spiraling towards Toxicroak. Regardless of if it was a supereffective attack or not, it had enough force to lift Toxicroak from the ground and sent him flying through the air. Seeing him floating helpless in the air, Ash commanded Sceptile to jump and execute an Aerial Ace from above. He did so, first jumping, vanished and reappeared on top of Toxicroak, delivering a knee strike right on the belly, send him back down like a meteor crashing on the ground. After the dust had settled, his eyes were spiraling and his body motionless. He'd been KO'ed.

"Toxicroak is unable to battle! Sceptile is the winner!" The referee declared.

"Wow! That was amazing." Serena commented. Her initial concerns had mellowed a lot after that.

"What did I tell you?" Misty replied. "If it's about Pokémon battles, he never rests on his laurels."

Serena already knew that, yet she couldn't help but feel quite impressed. Ash's battling skills hadn't diminished a bit since their last meeting. If possible, they might have even increased, and that Pokémon's raw power was proof of that, since with a type disadvantage, and with sheer power, he managed to overcome his opponent with just some effort and taking relatively little damage, other than that lucky strike that poisoned him.

Meanwhile at the arena, Angie recalled her fallen Pokémon, congratulating him on his effort. It was incredible how Ash directed Sceptile to counter a type disadvantage and win, he clearly had a lot of power. Looks like she was in for a more exciting battle than she first expected. Well, she had lost the first round, she still had two more to go. Time for the second battle. If Ash's other Pokémon were on the same level of this Sceptile, she had to be careful.

"Charizard, I choose you!"

Ash threw his second Pokéball, revealing the winged fire lizard. As usual, he announced his entrance with a mighty roar and a Flamethrower. Angie's first impression was that he looked pretty tough, perhaps even stronger-looking than the Sceptile she just fought. A dual Fire/Flying-type… she'd save the most obvious choice for last, and for now, she'd try to beat Ash in his own terrain.

"Infernape, go!" She threw her second Pokéball.

"Ape, ape!"

The large fire monkey appeared on the field, making his own dramatic entrance just like his opponent, except that instead of shooting fire and roaring, he pounded on his chest and clenched his large fists. The second round would be a clash of two Fire-type starter Pokémon in their final evolution. A burning duel in all senses.

"START!"

"Charizard, Flamethrower!" Ash this time decided to go for the first move. Which better way than starting out with Charizard's favorite attack?

"Chaaaaaar!" Charizard launched a torrent of flames at his opponent.

"Use Flame Wheel, Infernape!" Angie called out.

The fire primate curled up and began rolling engulfed in flames towards Charizard. Not needing his trainer's command, he flapped his wings and flew upwards to dodge the attack. Angie called Infernape to turn around and go back right as Charizard was descending, but Ash, predicting what she was about to do, called to counter with Dragon Tail. Charizard turned around, his tail glowing in a light blue energy, and stopped Infernape dead on his tracks, forcing him out of the Flame Wheel.

"Steel Wing, Charizard!" Ash called out.

"Char!"

The flying lizard's wings became covered in a silver metallic energy as he flew towards the helpless Infernape, hitting him hard. Once again, despite not being a supereffective attack, the raw power was so high it still caused serious damage. However, Infernape was down, but not out just yet. He jumped up to get back on his feet, ready to go again. Angie had his own ace in the hole, his Infernape had the ability Iron Fist, the best she could do was trying to exploit it for all it was worth.

"Charizard, use Flamethrower again!" Ash exclaimed.

"Infernape, use Flame Wheel again and roll around Charizard!" Angie commanded.

This time, Infernape didn't use the Flame Wheel to attack, but rather to roll around the entire field, dodging Charizard's Flamethrowers. This could serve as a good way to make up for the flyer advantage Ash's Pokémon had, since he could move much faster while rolling. The only problem, of course, was that he couldn't see where he was going while rolling, so he needed Angie to direct him. Ash wondered if he didn't get dizzy from rolling out so much.

"Charizard, fly low and use Dragon Tail again!" Ash called out.

"Infernape, stop!" Angie cried out at the same time.

Charizard was about to deliver the tail strike when he was getting in range, but Infernape slammed both fists to stop right before the tip could even scratch him. Charizard was now at optimal range for Angie to make her move. Out of instinct, and anticipating an attack, Ash took a preventive defense he used in this kind of situations.

"Cover up with Steel Wing!"

In normal circumstances, this would be an effective defense, Ash had learned to use Steel Wing in many manners, one of them being as protection. Unfortunately, like everything, this wasn't infallible, and Angie ordered Infernape to use an attack just perfect to break through that defense.

"Close Combat!"

"¡Infernape! ¡APE! ¡APE! ¡APE!"

Said and done, the fire monkey started bombarding Charizard with a rapid-fire barrage of punches. Against a Fighting-type attack, even more a high-powered one, the Steel Wing eventually gave out, the metallic layer shattering in pieces and leaving Charizard exposed again. And they weren't done yet.

"Thunder Punch!" Angie called out.

Ash became alarmed upon seeing the electric sparks forming around Infernape's right fist, if it hadn't been enough with breaking Charizard's Steel Wing defense. It made sense, that attack gave coverage against two of Infernape's main weaknesses: Water and Flying, the latter of which Charizard was. Thus, this Thunder Punch was supereffective against him, also boosted thanks to Infernape's ability. The electric-charged uppercut hit hard on Charizard's jaw giving out many sparks, but fortunately didn't seem to cause paralysis.

"Charizard, are you alright?" Ash asked in concern.

"Char!" Charizard replied with a tone that clearly said 'Do you need to ask?'

"Wow, that Charizard can even take supereffective hits." Angie said in awe. "But we're not backing down. Infernape, Thunder Punch again!

"Charizard, fly and use Dragon Tail!"

Charizard once again took to the air to dodge the electric punch, not wanting to feel it again. He flew as high as he could as he focused the energy, and delivered the tail strike, using the gravity to hit harder. He got Infernape right on the head, causing his eyes to go blank, and with the energy still active, Charizard turned around to deliver another tail strike to the legs to make him tumble down. Still on the ground, Ash commanded Charizard to attack with a pointblank Flamethrower. Charizard did so, stepping on his stomach just in case he thought of trying to get away, and spat the fire stream right on his face for quite a while. Finally, he stopped exhaling and flew away to take impulse again.

Angie saw Charizard's Flamethrower had done its thing on Infernape, but she couldn't give in just yet. If she could connect another Thunder Punch, she could still have a chance to win. Charizard made a U-turn in the air (the aerial maneuver, not the attack), and was coming flying right at Infernape to what would most certainly be the final clash. If he was charging head on, it was the perfect chance to deliver a decisive strike.

"Infernape, give him another Thunder Punch!" Angie yelled.

"Ape!" Once again, the fire monkey charged his fist in electricity, ready for a killing blow. This time, however, Ash knew how to counter it. That first one had only struck thanks to the surprise factor.

"Charizard, Steel Wing against the ground!" Ash cried out.

"Char!" Charizard's wings once again took on the metallic glow, as the fire lizard dove down charging against Infernape. He leaned laterally right when the two were about to make contact, his wing scratching the floor.

The resulting clash left Angie in complete shock. Not only Charizard took the full brunt of the Thunder Punch, but… it didn't do any damage whatsoever! How could that be? He took it head on! Of course, Ash had developed this specific defense for his Flying-types and against Electric attacks in general. A Steel-type attack could act as a made-shift lightning rod, thus neutralizing the full damage. Now, Infernape was at their mercy.

"Finish him, Charizard, Seismic Toss!"

"Char!"

Holding tightly on Infernape, Charizard flew up (as high as he could inside that place) and began flying in circles. Once he gained enough momentum, he flew back down, slamming his opponent face first against the ground. Charizard stood up back again, while Infernape was left lying on the ground, unable to continue. Second KO on Ash's favor.

"Infernape is unable to battle! Charizard is the winner!" The referee declared.

"Incredible." Serena said. "Especially that move he used to take the Thunder Punch head on."

"Charizard is definitely one of Ash's strongest Pokémon." Misty nodded. "He trained for a long time in the Charicific Valley."

"The what-Valley?"

"It's a natural reserve in Johto. Many wild Charizard use it as their personal training grounds." Misty explained. "He learned several of his best attacks there, and believe it or not, he's been able to go toe-to-toe with legendary Pokémon and even winning sometimes. In terms of raw power, Charizard would most likely be Ash's strongest Pokémon."

Serena stared at Misty for a moment. Indeed, the Fire-type Pokémon had proved to be quite powerful, and making an estimation (not taking into account a potential Mega-Evolution factor), he might even be stronger than the Charizard owned by Alain, the trainer who beat Ash during the Kalos League. Although the Kalosian Performer-Coordinator believed could argue that there was one who could challenge Charizard for the title of "Ash's strongest Pokémon", and if her hunch was in the right, they'll see him up next.

"Return, Infernape." Angie recalled her second fallen Pokémon, and Ash did the same with Charizard. "Excellent work, you've earned a good rest. I'm impressed, Ash. Your Pokémon are much stronger than I imagined."

"We've worked hard." Ash smiled. "We have a little prestige to maintain, you know."

"Of course." Angie didn't feel bad for being losing. On the contrary, she felt excited, and she had never felt this kind of thrill in a battle as far as she could remember, and she wanted to enjoy it until the end, regardless of the final result. "Well then, I've lost two chances, but I still have one more. I'm not giving up till the very end."

"I wouldn't have it any other way." Ash took his last and third Pokéball. She had faced Grass and Fire, there was one more to go to complete the basic elemental trinity. "Greninja, I choose you!"

"Ninja!"

The third Pokémon, of course, was the aquatic ninja frog. He posed firmly, the giant water shuriken forming on his back. Many of the spectators stared in awe at Ash's third Pokémon, quite surprised. Amongst them, a certain Water-type female specialist took her time to admire him with an appreciative eye.

"What kind of Pokémon is that?" She asked Serena, pointing specifically at the water shuriken on Greninja's back. "It's a Water-type, isn't it?"

"It is." Serena confirmed. "It's a Greninja, or should I call him, Ash-Greninja?"

"Ash-Greninja?"

Misty looked at the blue frog again. Staring at his face, there were some traits that vaguely resembled Ash. Serena however, decided to better illustrate it and pulled out her Pokédex. The latest version was capable of projecting 3D holographic images. Pointing at Greninja, she activated it.

* **GRENINJA, THE NINJA POKÉMON, THE FINAL EVOLUTION OF FROAKIE. IT USES ITS SWIFT MOVEMENTS TO CONFUSE ITS ENEMIES, MOVING WITH THE GRACE OF A NINJA IN THE SHADOWS, AND CAN COMPRESS THE WATER TO FORM THROWING STARTS TO ATTACK WITH GREAT SWIFTNESS AND PRECISION.***

Misty took notice of something else thanks to Serena's Pokédex. The holographic image shown by the device, and the one she was seeing in real life looked very different from one another. The blue skin tone of Ash's Greninja was a tad lighter, plus it had red and black markings around his face, with a couple of black protuberances on the sides of his head, somewhat reminiscing of Ash's hair. Not to mention the giant shuriken on his back.

"Why do they look different?" Misty finally asked. Serena seemed quite enthusiastic to tell the story.

"Ash's Greninja has a unique ability." The Kalosian girl explained. "He used to be normal, but over time, he learned a special transformation to increase his power, when he synchronized with Ash."

"Synchronized?" Misty asked. Suddenly, those traits reminiscing of Ash made sense.

"I don't understand very well how it works, but it seems that they bonded together their hearts, and it gave Greninja an additional power boost." Serena explained. "They said it was similar, yet different to Mega-Evolution."

"Wow…"

"Thing is, Ash had to leave him behind… for an important mission." Serena said that with a bit of nostalgia. "But one day, he showed up in my home, and he was transformed. I don't know how he did it, but somehow he learned to transform even without Ash's help, and if I had to guess, maybe he did it for so long it became permanent. And I think he came looking for me because he wanted to reunite with Ash. So I took him with me when I went to participate in the Kanto Pokémon Showcases."

"Astonishing…" Misty couldn't help but be amazed. Of course, she knew that Ash had a particular ability to make things beyond the impossible.

Angie too was quite impressed upon seeing Ash's Pokémon. She had never been in Kalos, so this was an unknown Pokémon to her, but with that shuriken on his back and its colors, she could only guess it was a Water-type. She would play safe and take as much advantage as possible. With that in mind, she threw her final Pokéball.

"Luxray, go!"

"Ray!" The Electric-type feline roared upon seeing his opponent, apparently trying to intimidate him, but Greninja didn't seem fazed.

"START!"

"Luxray, we have to go all out from the start! Use Spark!"

"Luxray!"

Luxray became engulfed in blue electricity, running forward to charge at Greninja. Ash could appreciate he was quite a fast runner, and the attack itself looked pretty powerful. Nevertheless, if it came to speed, he would never match Greninja.

"Greninja, start with Double Team!" Ash shouted.

"Ninja!" Greninja kneeled over his legs and jumped high, evading Luxray's attack and making appear multiple clones of himself all over the battlefield.

"We won't fall for that trick!" Angie said. "Luxray, use Discharge over all of the area!"

"LUX… RAY!"

Luxray charged up more power and unleashed an expansive electric wave in his surrounding area, which managed to catch all of the images of Greninja in its reach, fizzing them out in contact, but the real one managed to (barely) get out of its range, doing some backflips to take his distance and begin his counterattack once the electric wave had faded.

"Greninja, use Cut!"

"Ninja!" Kneeling down, Greninja created a white blade in his hand and leapt towards Luxray.

"Use Quick Attack to get close and use Crunch!" Angie commanded.

"Lux!"

Luxray rushed forward, leaving behind a white trail, and opening his jaws to intercept Greninja's attack head on. The result was that Luxray's fangs clashed directly against Greninja's blade, which he used to shield himself from the attack, both of them locked in a duel of strength. However, Greninja had an advantage; since he only needed one hand to hold the blade, the other was free for another attack.

"Ice Punch!" Ash commanded.

"Nin-JA!"

 _ **PUNCH!**_ With Luxray's jaws closed down on the white blade, Greninja raised his left webbed hand, engulfing it in a freezing aura, and punching his opponent hard and cold in the face. For the past few months, after Ash regained Greninja, trying to increase a bit his move arsenal, Ash put him to train with Snorlax and Buizel, who knew how to use Ice Punch. This could come in handy, since Cut could be used with one or two hands, either making a long katana or two short kunais, although in the latter case, the power would be split in half per blade and would cause less damage, plus having both hands occupied. In that case, he couldn't do a surprise attack, like now.

Luxray fell backwards after the Ice Punch, so Ash commanded Greninja to continue pressing with Water Shuriken. At first, Angie paid no mind to it, until he saw it with her own eyes: Greninja pulled out the giant shuriken on his back and hurled it, spinning out at high speeds.

"Luxray, dodge quick!" Angie cried out.

Luxray tried to obey, but he jumped the wrong way, and she spinning effect of the shuriken caused it to curve into his direction and hit him. One of the additional effects of the Ash-Greninja transformation was the power boost to this particular attack, and with this being now his default form, he could reap this benefit all the time, and Luxray could feel it firsthand. The strike left him stunned, but he managed to get back on his feet.

"Luxray, use Quick Attack and Spark!"

Once again, wanting to use Quick Attack to get close and connect the strike, Angie tried to get Luxray to match Greninja's speed. This could work to an extent, problem was that he could only maintain that speed running in a straight line. Greninja, on the other hand, could use his natural agility to move around and switch directions much easier. The frog evaded the electric charge and quickly took distance to attack again, charging up the Water Shuriken. This time however he didn't throw only one, instead grabbed one in each hand, and hurled them at Luxray one after the other. He managed to leap out of the way of the first, but the second one hit him hard just as soon as he landed.

"Greninja! Let's power up, Giant Water Shuriken!" Ash called out.

"Ninja!"

Once again, Greninja multiplied himself using Double Team, but this time he didn't intend to use the clones as decoys. Rather, he absorbed them to use their power and increase the size of his Water Shuriken, making it more powerful. Even further, when he threw it, its range expanded greatly, making it nigh impossible to dodge.

"Luxray, use Discharge to stop it!" Angie cried out desperately.

Luxray stored up as much electricity as he could to make his attack, but unfortunately it wasn't enough to fully eliminate it, the giant shuriken still impacted, causing a lot of damage. One more strike like that and he'd be on the edge of going down for the count. Ash, however, felt a sudden urge to finish this battle in style.

"Greninja, let's do it, use Ice Shuriken!"

"Ice Shuriken?" Serena, Misty and Angie wondered all aloud at the same time.

Pikachu was a little worried upon hearing this. They both had been training to perfect this combo, based on Buizel's Ice Aqua Jet. In theory, they used an Ice-type attack to solidify the Water Shuriken, thus increasing the damage by making it hit like a solid object. They hadn't been able to perfect it yet, but if they didn't practice, they'd never pull it off.

Greninja threw the Shuriken in the air, charging his other hand with freezing energy, ready to catch it. Upon falling on his fist, the water started to become solid ice. It required a lot of focus and power from the Ice Punch, to freeze it before it shattered. Greninja ran towards Luxray and was almost ready to throw it, but in that very instant, the unthinkable happened.

 _ **CRAAAAACCKKK!**_

"NO!" Ash shouted. The shuriken couldn't keep the cohesion, and it shattered to pieces before Greninja could throw it, leaving both Trainer and Pokémon in shock. Angie, on the other hand, saw this as a potential chance to turn around the battle.

"Luxray, Quick Attack and Spark!"

"Ray!"

The Electric-type Pokémon ran off fast, with his blue electric aura flaring up. Ash shouted at Greninja to jump to dodge, but it was too late. Luxray was faster and managed to strike on Greninja with his full speed and force. The frog flew backwards, and Angie, seeing that she managed to get a solid hit in, decided to press forward with the electric attacks.

"Luxray, use Spark again!"

"Greninja, Double Team!"

"Ninja!"

Despite being a little stunned with the Spark, Greninja managed to pull off the move, creating the clones to dodge, and barely evading Luxray's charge. They wouldn't take any more chances. It was best not to use that combo again until they had finally perfected it. Luxray used Discharge again to attack the remaining clones, hoping to hit the real one, but he didn't make it. Time to end the battle.

"Greninja, prepare Cut, and get in close with Aerial Ace!"

Greninja pulled out the blade again, holding it with reverse grip, as it took on an even brighter glow. When Luxray ran out of power from attacking the fake clones, Greninja stood before him, trying to goad him into attacking again. As soon as he did, Greninja vanished and reappeared behind, there was no escaping from this strike.

 _ **SLASH!**_ A clean Cut in the back, Greninja landed on the other side with a flip, and made a gesture as if he sheathed his sword, posing firm, while Luxray collapsed in defeat. Third KO in the match, and it was all over.

"Luxray is unable to battle! The winner is Greninja! The Coliseum Gladiator, Ash Ketchum, wins the battle!"

The crowd exploded in applause. Ash had won the three rounds, his Pokémon showing impressive power and strategy. No doubt that the Coliseum Gladiator epithet wasn't just for show. Meanwhile, as for Angie...

"Luxray, return." She said as she recalled her last Pokémon. "Excellent work, you've earned a good rest."

While Ash came approaching to congratulate Greninja on a job well done, Angie felt mixed emotions. The strange part, however, none of them was negative. She was happy of having had such an exciting battle, happy to see Ash again and see firsthand how much stronger he had grown since the last time they met, and more importantly, impressed to see that this boy who was as immature and hotheaded as her had grown into a real man… and for Arceus, what a fine man.

"You all fought well, Angie, congrats." Ash said, offering her his hand.

"Hah, what are you talking about? We were no match for you guys." Angie shook his hand. "Seems that your streak remains intact."

"In my defense, these Pokémon you fought are usually reserved for the Determination Symbol challenges. They're amongst the strongest ones I have."

"Wow, really?" Angie said. "No wonder you curbstomped us like that. Well, does this mean that, when I challenge you again, you'll go a little easier on me?"

"Maybe…" Ash scratched his cheek.

"To think I planned to ask you for something else if I won…" Angie whispered, slightly blushing. Unfortunately, Ash heard her.

"What was it?" He asked.

"Nothing, nothing! I was talking to myself." She quickly replied. "Anyway, even if I lost… could I at least see the badge, just once?"

Ash supposed it would make no harm, so he reached into his pocket to pull out the badge. He wasn't as arrogant so as to think he would never had to hand it over, otherwise he wouldn't carry it with him on the hypothetical scenario that she would win. The badge had a shape similar to a three-leaf clover, with platinum edges and each of the "leaves" was a different color: green, red and blue. Angie held it for a bit, it was really precious. Done with it, she placed it back on his hand.

"I hope I will rightfully earn it next time." Angie then turned towards Serena and Misty. "If you don't mind, can I talk to your friends for a bit?"

Ash was a little surprised at this, but he just shrugged and let her go with them. The defeated challenger walked toward the stands, while some of the spectators were still in awe at this incredible battle.

"Well, that was… interesting." Angie said.

"That's underselling it." Misty. "You did real good, but against that team… no offense, but…"

"None taken, I get what you're gonna say." Angie looked over her shoulder at Ash again. "Hey, you two are… with him, aren't you? Think I could ask you for a little favor?"

Serena and Misty stared at each other confused, unsure as to what she meant. Pikachu, on the other hand, had a slight idea of what was coming.

"Truth to be told, I was thinking of… asking him out if I won." Angie confessed. Both Misty and Serena tensed up upon hearing this, but they managed to not to show it. "Knowing him, though, I'm not sure he will accept, or even catch an indirect."

"Yeah, that's our Ash." Misty made a little emphasis on "our".

"Anyway, what favor did you want to ask of us?" Serena asked.

"I'm glad to see he became an excellent trainer, but if I know him well, he'll need someone to look out for him with… other things." Angie replied. "Could you two please do that for me? He might be a big dummy, but… he's still a big, cute and adorable dummy."

The three girls couldn't help but giggle at the remark; that much they could all agree on. Serena and Misty felt a little relieved that they didn't have to intervene this time. The world was quite a small place if they ran into another girl who knew and had a crush on Ash in that ship, and they had the feeling she might not be the last one. Meanwhile, Ash stared at them, a little surprised at how fast they took to each other and wondering what could they be laughing at (part of him inside having the feeling that they were making fun of him).

* * *

 _ **At nightfall…**_

The day was ending, the three of them were exhausted. As soon as they went back into the cabin, Ash and Pikachu dropped themselves onto the bed, Ash quickly removing his running shoes. A good Pokémon battle was something he was always up and ready for, but outside of that, walking around the ship with Serena and Misty (strangely getting the feeling they were trying to keep him away from Angie) was really tiresome.

While Ash laid on the bed, the electric rodent went into his master's backpack, pulling out a small ketchup plastic bag. He ripped it open and started sucking its contents. Misty sat on the couch, grabbing the remote to flip around the TV channels, and Serena sat on her own bed and took a fashion magazine to read. The redhead suddenly stopped on the Hoenn League channel, which at the time was rebroadcasting a match of the regional Ever Grande tournament, and she quickly recognized one of the participants.

"Hey, Ash, look who's competing at the Hoenn League." Misty said.

"Hmm?"

Ash got up to check the TV. On the right side of the battle arena, which at the time had a forest-like field, there was a dark blue-haired young man, whom Ash could easily tell had swapped his old intellectual glasses for protective goggles, looking more like a real trainer than a little nerd.

"Is that Max?" If he didn't know better, he wouldn't believe that was the same little know-it-all kid whom he traveled with through Hoenn. At the time, May's younger brother was commanding a Gardevoir, who fired off an electric attack to intercept that of its opponent. And when the camera focused on the opposing Pokémon and its trainer, Ash had a double surprise, since Max's opponent turned out to be someone else Ash knew quite well. "And he's fighting Bonnie?"

Clemont's little sister had grown quite a bit, she had become a very lovely young lady. Her blonde hair was still in the same side ponytail she had as a child, except it was longer now, going a bit down below her shoulders. Serena heard Bonnie's name and immediately dropped the magazine to check out the battle as well.

"Now that I remember, the last time I saw her, she said she's try her luck at the Hoenn League." The Kalosian girl commented.

"You know the other one?" Misty asked with interest.

"She's the younger sister of Clemont, another of our friends." Serena nodded. "He's the Lumiose City Gym Leader."

"Wow, it's really a small world." The redhead commented. "Someday, we need to make a get-together so we can all meet each other."

Ash at the time didn't say anything, but the idea Misty suggested didn't sound bad at all. With so many friends he made during his journeys, it would be great if they could all get together someday, if only for a special occasion, since after having spent the last two years for the most part in Kanto (and occasionally Johto), he hadn't seen many of them in a long time. Of course, they hadn't lost their contact, since they frequently exchanged email and traditional mail, while others would call him, yet it didn't feel the same as being in the same place as them, with all the adventures they shared.

The battle was on its final round, with both of them having one single Pokémon on the field. The scoreboard showed Max had on his team, aside from his Gardevoir, a Grovyle and a Mightyena, while Bonnie had a Floette and a Tyrunt already eliminated from the match. The battle was quite even, and victory was decided when Dedenne charged with Nuzzle, literally through Gardevoir's Charge Beam, leaving her paralyzed, and then summoned a Thunder to finish her off. The referee overseeing the match raised his hand, declaring Bonnie as the winner, and she began jumping in joy. Max, meanwhile, accepted his defeat in stride after giving out his all, and recalling his Gardevoir, congratulated her on a job well done. Bonnie went to the field to pick up her Dedenne, and they shook hands as a gesture of sportsmanship, and thanking each other for a great battle.

"I'm sorry for Max, he was fighting well." Misty said.

"Yeah, too bad. One of them had to win, though." Serena added. "Which round were they fighting?"

"According to the league calendar, the semifinals were scheduled for today." Misty replied.

"Meaning Max made it to the top four." Ash noted. "Must be humiliating having lost on your own home turf to an outsider, don't you agree?"

"You must know that very well." Misty commented, squinting her eyes towards him.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing, nothing." The redhead just shrugged it off.

With the match over, Misty grabbed the remote and started flipping through the channels again. She wasn't following any particular series, and there were no movies she liked or anything. She absently looked at her male friend, taking her time to assess him. No doubt, Ash had grown into a fine young adult, and he wasn't lacking on physical attractiveness, but sometimes, even she felt that he lacked… style? Fixing himself a bit? Her eyes became fixated specifically on the boy's hair. It had always been wild, untidy and impossible to comb, and even more now that it had grown longer, and Ash wasn't wearing his trademark cap, which usually served to keep it well hidden. Maybe, it was a good time to do something about it.

"Ash, I've been thinking… maybe you could use a haircut?" Misty asked.

"What?"

"Just look at yourself, your hair's messier than the quills of a Sandslash." The redhead said without mincing her words.

"It can't be that bad." He said as he flicked it a bit.

"Misty's right." Serena agreed. "It's way too long, and becomes a real mess at times. When was the last time you cut it?"

"My memory's not _that_ good." He snarked, even though it was… six, perhaps seven months at most.

"There must be a good stylist aboard the ship, with all of the events they're gonna make." Misty suggested. "Problem is, they're expensive, I don't know if they can be included in the prize."

"I can do it, if you want." Serena offered.

"You know how to make haircuts?" The redhead was quite surprised.

"I've taken some courses, they've come in handy for my showcases."

"Oh, well, that's just perfect." Misty was delighted. "That way we don't have to pay anyone. Isn't this great, Ash?"

"Well, I'm not sure…"

"Come on, you really need that haircut." Misty insisted. "Serena, go get your scissors, I'll hold him in place."

"Hey, wait, what are you…? Misty!"

The boy tried to protest, but Misty had grabbed him by the shoulders and forced him to sit on the couch before the mirror. Just like when they were younger, she was just as strong as or even stronger than him. Serena, meanwhile, pulled out the comb and scissors, she was ready to start.

"Stop it, I said I don't want to!" He began yelling.

"You'll thank us later." Misty said. "Serena, you may start when you want."

"Here I go." The Performer-Coordinator went click-click with her scissors.

"You can't be serious!" Ash exclaimed, unable to believe she was playing a long too. "Pikachu, help me over here!"

"Chaaaaa…" The rodent let out a lazy yawn and turned around on the bed to sleep. The message was "Sorry, you're on your own".

"This can't be, you too?!" The boy couldn't believe it. "Somebody save me from these two!"

But his cries for help wouldn't be heard through the cabin's sealed door. As much as he protested, yelled or cried, with Misty holding him in place he wouldn't get away. Serena happily hummed a little song as she began cutting, while the black hairs fell to the floor (they'd sweep them off later), while Ash kept yelling like he was being tortured or something. He had no way out, the trainer was trapped with the two girls, and they'd enjoy every minute of it.

Oh yeah, these would be some very interesting vacations, and it was just the first day.

 _ **To be continued…**_

* * *

 **Author's notes:**

What's up, everyone? Finally I got this story going. And with all the ideas I've gotten, looks like it's gonna be longer than I expected. So much that I was planning on covering the trip on the cruiser in a single chapter, but with the events I thought of, I ultimately had to split it in two. Of course, I'm not planning on making a day-to-day with each chapter, but something's for sure, this story won't be the two, or three-pater I expected, it has for a lot more than that.

Alright, I hope you enjoyed it, like I said at "Friends and Rivals Alike", I'll do do more emphasis on the humor than the drama, which is why Misty and Serena had not begun to compete "officially" yet. For the next one, with the events on the ship, we'll definitely see a little of their "friendly rivalry", although you can already see how hard is for Ash just to be in-between the two of them, hehe. There's gonna be a lot of humor and fanservice, so if that's not your thing, I'm really sorry XD

Before I leave, a little special thanks to **Viroro-kun,** who gave me a small yet important contribution to the title of this story. If you're Pokémon fans, you might want to check his work too, I'm sure you will love them. Also, thanks to **Marsy3** on DeviantArt for letting me use her fanart as a cover image for this story and the previous one (still waiting for that commissioned covers I got for these two). Last but not least. thanks for the reviews on "Friends and Rivals Alike" to: **Omnistar, Marches Meines Lebens, Kori A Grayson, nami, guywithglasses, aris2, Tropicallight, Captain Bones, Guest, cake0108** (if you don't mind me asking, please enable the PMs so I can properly reply to you) **, Harmonious Wolf** and **jordanlink7856.** And to those who just faved or followed without commenting, thanks too, although I'd appreciate more if you shared your thoughts with words. Time to go on to the next story, see ya around!


	2. Rock, fashion and tag battles

**Crossroads – Between a Mermaid and a Princess.**

 **By Fox McCloude.**

 **Disclaimer:** Pokémon and all related characters belong to Satoshi Tajiri and Nintendo. All rights reserved.

 **Part 2:** Rock, fashion and tag battles.

* * *

 _ **Third day aboard the cruiser…**_

With so many activities on the ship, the trio wouldn't have a single minute of boredom. During the whole second day, Misty and Serena took their chances to do some shopping, specifically for new clothes, since during the third night there would be another important event to have a lot of fun together. The concert of Roxie and her band was scheduled for 7:00 pm to 11:00 pm. Meanwhile, Ash took part in some exhibition battles, to keep his Pokémon in shape, and also win some prizes for himself and his two female friends. Sometimes they would stay to watch, and Misty in particular went all gaga whenever she could see Greninja in action.

As Roxie's music resounded on the stage, the crow danced and screamed, and not just the humans; many Pokémon had joined in the fun. Serena's in particular, being natural performers as much as their owner, were enjoying themselves with the rock. Meanwhile, the human trio were in the middle of a very unusual dance amongst each other.

Ash had a complete makeover that day, since after Serena and Misty were done with him, his hair was trimmed (fortunately, they weren't as cruel so as to leave it all shaved). And despite his complaints, the two girls insisted he looked really good that way. The three had dressed up nicely for the occasion, and were hitting the dancing floor, with Ash serving as a Ping-Pong ball between the girls, who grabbed him, spun him around for a bit, and then pushed him to the other to continue dancing, repeating the pattern over and over. Even so, despite all the twirling, spinning and being pushed around back and forth, he managed to put up with both of them for no less than twenty different songs, quite a feat. After the penultimate song, the rocker girl stood on the edge of the stage, microphone in hand to make an announcement.

"Thank you, thank you all! Now, before our last song for tonight, I have a very important announcement to make. Which amongst you hail from the Kalos region?" A fair amount screamed back and raised their hands, Serena included. "Good, well, I'm pleased to announce that, very soon, our World Tour will be stopping by over there very soon. Starting on Lumiose City, Kalos, here we go!"

Once again, the crowd screamed in excitement. It was no surprise: Roxie and her band were the musical sensation of the moment.

"So to wrap up this performance, our last song for tonight will be the first of our new album. Dedicated to all Kalosians out there, LET'Z GO!"

That was the cue for Roxie's musicians to start playing. The final rocking had begun (insert XY&Z Opening instrumental version):

 _ ***HEY! Just like the morning sun that's shinning over Kalos!**_

 _ **(Our hearts are burning hotter than a FLAME CHARGE!)**_

 _ **YEAH! We're all prepared and so you'll never see us run from chaos!**_

 _ **(Breaking the mold, we'll let our passion DISCHARGE!)**_

 _ **Our overlapping feelings suddenly start to synchronize.**_

 _ **And they'll become a bond that will never disappear!**_

 _ **And I know that I will never shed a tear…**_

 _ **As long as you're with me.**_

 _ **(Oh, wow, wow, yeah, yeah.)**_

 _ **...**_

 _ **So LET'Z GO! To battles that are burning fiercely!**_

 _ **CARRY ON! In a crisis I will take my chance!**_

 _ **And LET'Z DO! A complete REVERSAL! Our determination is what makes us strong!**_

 _ **Yeah, our determination is what makes us strong!**_

 _ **...**_

 _ **HEY! There are so many obstacles getting in our way!**_

 _ **(We'll always tear them down, they'll never stop us!)**_

 _ **LOOK! The Victory Star is right ahead, so take a sprint and grab it!**_

 _ **(Our STEADFAST hearts lead us to our glory now!)**_

 _ **While time is passing, ticking faster than ever before.**_

 _ **Our hearts are still connected in unfading unity.**_

 _ **I'll get up the strength to get back up again …**_

 _ **As long as you're with me.**_

 _ **...**_

 _ **So LET'Z GO! Strong rivals will be waiting up ahead!**_

 _ **AND WE'LL SHOW! We can beat them with a One-Hit-KO!**_

 _ **SO I'LL KNOW! There's no way I can lose!**_ ' _ **Cause my heart and dreams are always here with me!**_

 _ **And I know you'll always be with me… YEAH!**_

 _ ***Guitar solo.***_

 _ **Then I'll GO! To battle facing victory or loss!**_

 _ **So LET'Z GO! Yeah, I know you will be there for me!**_

 _ **LET'Z just GO! Friends by each other's side... show me that we will never be alone!**_

 _ **...**_

 _ **So LET'Z GO! To battles that are burning fiercely!**_

 _ **CARRY ON! In a crisis I will take my chance!**_

 _ **And LET'Z DO! A complete REVERSAL! Our determination is what makes us strong!**_

 _ **Now LET'Z GO! We will fulfill this dream with all we have!**_

 _ **So LET'Z GO! And we'll prove them we can beat them all!**_

 _ **LET'Z GO! Keep fighting with your heart, and your future for certain will be bright!**_

 _ **When you see yourself transcend to unknown heights!**_

 _ **YE-AAAAH!**_

 _ **...**_

 _ **SO! LET'Z turn it up now!**_

 _ **(Shock them like a THUNDERBOLT!)**_

 _ **YEAH! Keep standing tall and if we're fighting, stronger than a Hyper Beam, we will be surpassing our dreams!***_

And with the last note of the song and one final applause, Roxie and her band said goodbye to their fans and left the stage. The concert was over, so Ash, Misty and Serena walked back to their cabin, exhausted and their legs aching of so much dancing, but it had been well worth it. As usual, the two girls were firmly clinging to the boy's arms, as if they wanted everyone to see them.

"Wow, Ash. Never thought you could be quite the dancer," Misty commented. "Where did you learn those moves?"

"Right here and now," Ash deadpanned. "You two were the ones who taught me."

"Aw, come on." Misty frowned at his response. "Really, Ash. Leaving aside the fact that we were throwing you back and forth, I don't remember having ever seen you dancing like that."

"That's true, Ash. You're a great dancer." Serena nodded. She took her chance to enjoy her time as much as possible, recalling that formal ball where she was able to dance with just about anyone but Ash himself, since the song ended when she got to him.

"OK, if you really need to know." The boy smirked a bit. "Mom has been organizing many parties at her restaurant. Sometimes it was boring to stay over there doing nothing, so I decided to try it once and… I guess I just got carried away and enjoyed it."

"Pikachu." The electric rodent nodded in agreement, as if he wanted to laugh at him for it.

"What? If memory serves you were quick to join in too, weren't you?" The trainer half-glared at his partner.

Indeed, Pikachu too had his own moment of glory at the dancing floor. Another practical use of teaching him the Counter-Shield was the fact that it was also pretty handy as an impressive breakdance step. Serena made a mental note of practicing it with Pancham for her future showcases: she already had some ideas for interesting combinations.

Once back at the cabin, Ash dropped himself on the bed, pulling off his boots immediately. He was grateful at having such endurance, or else he wouldn't have been able to keep up with both girls at once. The digital clock on the wall marked 11:17 pm, so the boy didn't bother to get into his sleeping clothes. He just snatched a pillow and clinging to it he fell asleep almost immediately. Serena and Misty, on the other hand, still had some energy for some girl chat before going to sleep.

"So? What's the plan for tomorrow?" the Performer-Coordinator asked.

Misty picked up the pamphlet with the cruiser's calendar. "There are no special events tomorrow. Ash will most likely get into some battles to win some prizes. Maybe I'll do that too."

"I'm sure you'll do great." Serena took the pamphlet for a bit. "Let's see… a Pokémon Cosplay Contest? Category Pikachu?"

"Pika?" Pikachu took a look as well, and then noticed Serena staring at him.

"What do you say? You want to try it?" The girl smiled at him.

The rodent happily nodded in affirmation. "Pikachu."

"That's great. I'll make sure to dress you up nicely, I'll just need to ask for Ash's permission in the morning."

"Why bother?" Misty intervened. "If Pikachu wants in, he won't refuse. The hard thing will be convincing him to let me borrow Greninja for a bit."

"Why are you so bent on using him in a battle?" Serena asked.

"Isn't it obvious? I love Water Pokémon, I'd die to have one of them for myself. He's so strong, so speedy, so… amazing!" The redhead's eyes sparkled in a dreamy state.

"I can't argue with that." Serena admitted. "Ash trained his Greninja since he was a Froakie. If you want one of your own, the best place would be Kalos, with Professor Sycamore. Maybe I could call in a favor and ask him to give you one."

"Really?" Misty's eyes sparkled again with excitement.

"I'm sure he'll be fine with it." Serena smiled. "Yet I can't guarantee it would have the same ability as Ash's. For all we know, one of those would be one in a million."

"I don't care, the regular one isn't too bad, either." The redhead shrugged. "Anyway… I'd love if Ash would let me command him in battle just once."

After seeing him in action during the battle against Angie, Misty had been pestering Ash nonstop, begging him to let her use Greninja. Maybe so far he had refused because Misty was rather… pushy with it, but Serena, who knew a kinder and sweeter way, could make him relent easily. If he didn't want to play favorites, he'd have both of them to borrow one of his Pokémon. Serena promised that she would help Misty with it. It was weird, they were supposed to be competing against each other, yet this felt more like a… cooperative game, so to speak. They didn't seem to be trying to outdo or one-up each other, and even in the best of cases they gave the other a hand when she needed it.

In many ways, more than rivals in love for Ash, they almost seemed like the best of friends, even though they had known each other for just a few months.

* * *

 _ **The next day, in the afternoon…**_

The plan didn't quite work out as they expected. Serena had taken the electric rodent for the cosplay contest, trying to decide which would be the best costume style. Ash agreed to let her borrow Pikachu, but when Misty wanted him to let her do the same with Greninja, the boy unexplainably refused. When she accused him of "playing favorites", Ash argued "Greninja can only use his full power with me", which was why he wouldn't let her use him. Not that the ninja frog had a problem with being commanded by a friend of his trainer's (in fact, he seemed to have taken a liking to Misty) but Ash refused to budge.

So meanwhile, Misty had to make do in one of the battle arenas. Her opponent was using an Electivire, while she fought with her Gyarados. She was trying to vent her rage on them for now.

"Gyarados, Hydro Pump!" she commanded.

The marine serpent gave out a mighty roar and fired off a spiraling water stream, hitting his opponent with sheer force. Electivire tried to retaliate with a Thunderbolt, but Misty then called out for a Flamethrower, roasting it before it could launch its attack.

"Electivire is unable to battle, Gyarados is the winner!" declared the guy who acted as referee. Misty's opponent returned his fallen Pokémon in disbelief, while she congratulated Gyarados.

Meanwhile, Ash was on one of the upper decks, having a little sparring session between his two flyers: Pidgeot and Charizard. The lizard shot out fire blasts the bird tried to deflect using Air Slash attacks. They both went flew up, down and turning around almost like two fighter planes in a dogfight, as they tried to get on the other's blind spot before attacking. Charizard's attacks had higher firepower and could tank the damage, but Pidgeot was a faster flyer and outmaneuvered him, so he managed to land more hits. In short, they were quite evenly matched in terms of general power.

"Alright you two, that's enough!" Ash called them. The bird and the fire lizard ceased their rounds of attack and flew down, back to their trainer's side. "Excellent work, both of you are improving greatly."

"I see that even on vacation you never stop training, do you?" Misty's voice spoke up from behind him. The redhead was back.

"I can't let my Pokémon get rusty, I need to keep them in shape," Ash said.

"Of course. Any particular reason you got those two sparring against each other?"

"Oh, nothing special," Ash replied. "Just some training for a little rematch. Pidgeot and I took part in a Sky Battles Tournament last year."

"Sky Battles?" Misty had heard Serena mention those once. She said they were quite popular in mountain zones with strong wind currents in Kalos.

"You should try them sometime, you have no idea how exciting it is," Ash said. "Just think about it: to experience by yourself what feels to fly like that, with your own wings. It's an awesome feeling."

"That does sound exciting alright," Misty admitted. "Although, you mentioned a rematch, did you…?"

"Ah yeah, Pidgeot and I were _this_ close of winning, but we lost to a Salamence in the final round," Ash explained. "We want to go back this year to try again."

Misty couldn't help but giggle; wherever he was, or no matter how much time had passed, the years had done nothing to subside Ash's competitive streak. Even though he had learn to take his defeats in stride and with a lot more maturity than at the beginning of his journey, the truth was that, deep down, Ash still hated losing. If he didn't win on the first try, he'll make sure to put a bigger effort to redeem himself in an eventual rematch. That didn't mean he was a sore loser, of course: another of the things Misty loved of him was that determination and drive to push himself, to be better every day.

"Speaking of unconventional battles, did you know they're trying to promote Underwater Battles in Kanto?" The redhead had just remembered. "I was thinking of entering those too."

"Really?" Ash asked.

"We could, maybe… take part in them sometime, together?" Misty suggested. "And it would be a great way to see what your Greninja is capable of. I mean, if he can move like that on land, just think about what he can do in his element?"

"Misty… you're still begging me to let you use him?"

"Can you blame me for trying?" The redhead pouted. "Really, Ash, you let Serena borrow Pikachu, but you won't let me use Greninja?"

"I've told you, Greninja can only use his full potential with me," Ash replied. "He's gonna have a power limiter with you."

"Aw, Ash, please don't be so mean," Misty insisted, trying to give him a tender face.

For a split second, Ash thought he had seen a little of Serena in Misty's face, and deep down he thought she actually looked cute. That was a side of Misty she wouldn't often show when they were kids, but when she did, she did. Nevertheless, he wouldn't budge that easily.

"Misty, I told you. Greninja needs me in order to use his full power."

"You still haven't explained me that very well," the redhead pointed out. "Care to be a little more specific on that part?"

"Explaining wouldn't do, you'd have to see with your own eyes." That was Serena's voice speaking. "Hey, guys!"

The Kalosian performer-coordinator had returned, smiling cheerfully. Pikachu walked alongside her, still wearing the costume she had put together for him to use in the cosplay contest. It was a dark blue tuxedo, with a red bow tie, a white domino mask, a matching top hat and even a cape.

"Pikapi. Pikachu." The mouse looked very happy himself, as he proudly showed off to his trainer the golden badge with a blue ribbon on his side. It read: _***First place; Pikachu Cosplay Contest; Category: Elegance.***_

"Well, seems like you guys did well on the contest," Misty said. "Congrats."

Serena smiled. "Thanks. And that's not all, check out the prize we won."

The girl showed them a small, yellow sphere, which irradiated a strange energy, seemingly electric in nature. It was tied to a strap to be worn around the neck. Ash looked at it a little curious, unsure as to what it could be.

"Um… and this is exactly?" the boy asked.

"Don't you know?" Serena seemed surprised. "At the contest they said this was a Lightball. It's supposed to emit an energy that increases the attack power of a Pikachu who wears it. They said it could even match a Raichu."

"Really?" Ash took for a closer. "That sounds pretty cool."

"And it's perfect for Pikachu," Misty agreed. "Great prize for the first place."

"Actually, this was the second place prize," Serena explained. "The first place prize was a Thunder Stone, but I asked the runner-up if he wanted to exchange. I think we already know what Pikachu thinks of that, right?"

"Pikachu," the electric mouse replied.

Misty arched an eyebrow, as she eyed Serena with interest. That was quite a bold move. They both knew perfectly the aversion the electric rodent had to evolving (always wanted to show he could be as strong as his evolver form), and if the prize for winning was useless because of that, it was a good idea to exchange. Maybe, if she wanted to convince Ash to let her borrow Greninja, the key would be getting him something that could help him with the training. Those were the best gifts for someone like him.

"Alright, that's enough of a workout for today. You two, it's time to return," Ash said to Pidgeot and Charizard, recalling them. "And now, I don't know you girls, but I'm famished here; shall we go eat something?"

"Yeah, sure," Misty said. "What are we having today?"

"Something light, for a change," Serena begged. "I was so full yesterday, I couldn't even finish that grill by myself. Really."

"Alright, we'll have something light today," Ash replied.

The foursome formed by the boy, his two female friends and his inseparable electric partner went towards the food fair. As they walked, Serena tried to imagine what something "light" would amount for Ash and Misty. In the four days and three nights they had spent on that cruiser, they always ordered for the strongest plate in the menu, and _always_ finished it without leftovers. They were lucky the expenses were covered in advance thanks to the prize, otherwise they would have no way to pay everything those two devoured on each meal.

* * *

 _ **That night…**_

Just as they finished their "light" lunch, Ash was challenged by another trainer who wanted to earn a Trichromatic Badge (apparently after seeing his match against Angie). After arranging the official battle, the trainer from Pallet went to the battle arena at the scheduled hour, which meant Serena and Misty were alone at their cabin, trying to decide what they would do the following day. Serena was quite bent on going to the fashion show organized by Elesa and Valerie. While Misty approved, she wasn't sure if Ash would come along; the boy wasn't exactly a fashion enthusiastic like them. Furthermore, the info about the show stated that whoever wanted to attend would have to go "in style" (which meant dressing up elegantly or in cosplay). Now they were discussing the best way to "persuade" him, after all, they didn't want to leave him alone.

"How are we gonna convince him?" Serena asked.

"You don't worry about that," Misty replied. "What matters now is that we need to make him look presentable."

"Well, the show starts in the afternoon, we can buy or rent a costume for him in the morning," the kalosian girl suggested. "But you still haven't answered my previous question."

"I've got it covered." Misty winked at her. "If everything else fails… I brought this along."

That said, the redhead skimmed through her bag, until she found what she was looking for. She had packed it just for a little hunch while getting ready for this trip. No clue whatsoever on why she had kept this costume in the first place and for so long, but now she was glad for it.

"Here it is. Never thought this little outfit would come in handy."

The costume was a strapless leotard, fully white in color except for a green gem on the chest, and on the back part of the waist it had what looked a lot like Goldeen fins. Plus, it had long matching gloves, high-heel shoes and stockings. The redhead stood before the mirror, placing it in front of her to see how it would look. Serena eyed it with interest.

"A little souvenir of our early adventures," Misty recalled. "I only wore this costume once, and it was kinda embarrassing when he saw me, but… I think he liked it."

"It's cute, but maybe we could improve it a little?" Serena asked.

"Improve it?" Misty wondered what the performer-coordinator would have in mind, but before she could ask any questions, Serena was searching into her own bag for something. She then produced a small box.

"It's good that I never leave home without this," she said with an ample smile.

The box stored a small tailoring kit, including scissors, pins, string and some small fabric rolls. Serena quickly made use of her sewing skills, adding to Misty's leotard a few laces and frills to make it a little… flashier. The only thing the Kalos girl regretted was not having a tricolor fabric that could imitate the Goldeen fins (they seemed to be made of semitransparent latex). Nevertheless, when Misty tried the costume, she had to admit she liked the result.

"So? What do you think?" Serena asked.

Misty smiled with satisfaction. She even posed a little to admire her reflection on the mirror. "Not bad, it looks pretty good. You could have future as a fashion designer."

As she gazed at her own reflection, Misty suddenly had an idea. If (ten-year-old) Ash liked seeing her in that costume… what would he think of seeing Serena with a similar one? Why not giving him a double dose? She eyed her friend, as the thoughts formed into her mind, smiling mischievously.

"Misty, why are you staring at me like that?" Serena suddenly felt nervous.

"Hey, Serena, why don't you make a similar one for yourself?" Misty went straight to the point.

"Eh? What? You mean that I wear… a costume like yours?"

"Oh come on. You're a Pokémon performer and coordinator, surely you must have dressed up in endless costumes, am I wrong?"

"Y-yeah, but… never one like… this one." Serena blushed at the thought. Sure, she had worn many costumes with different styles, but none of them quite as… skimpy as Misty's. Not to show off too much skin or too form-fitting with her body.

"And what's wrong with that? You're an attractive girl, surely it would look good on you," Misty insisted.

Serena still refused, but the redhead's persistence finally got her to cave in. Finding a leotard of her own, Serena made a costume following the same pattern as Misty's, except that she used her own Pokémon (specifically her Sylveon) as an inspiration. She also made a mask which even included the ears. Misty thought it looked quite adorable. Once they were done, they both gazed at the mirror.

"What did I tell you? You look lovely."

"It's still embarrassing." Serena moved her hands trying to cover herself, especially her legs (despite having them covered in stockings).

"Don't be such a party pooper." Misty smiled. "Ash is gonna love this."

 _ **KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!**_

"Hey, girls? We're back!" Ash called from behind the door.

"Ah, speak of the devil," Misty said. "It's a perfect chance. Hold on a second, Ash!"

"Misty, wait, please don't open yet!" Serena tried to stop her, but it was too late: Misty's hand reached the doorknob and a second later the door was wide open, letting Ash and Pikachu in.

"Sorry for the… lateness…"

The boy's jaw almost dropped down to the floor upon seeing his two friends. He was quite shocked (in a good way) to see them dressed in those costumes, and their expressions couldn't be more opposite from each other: Serena tried (unsuccessfully) to cover herself with her arms, while Misty kept her flirty smile, not missing the chance to turn around and let the boy admire her in full at once.

"What do you think?" she asked. "Do you like?"

"Misty… did you really have to?" Serena groaned. There was no point in running away; Ash had already seen them.

"Aw, come on, didn't he already see us in swimsuits? Who cares about these?" the redhead said, without a single hint of shame. She then turned towards Ash. "So, did we leave you speechless with our beauty or what? Say something."

Speechless was falling short; the boy had to manually close his jaw and remind himself of breathing, and also hold back a little nosebleed he felt coming up. It was weird: like Misty said, he had already seen them both wearing swimsuits, so it seemed inexplicable that he'd remain stiff just for seeing them with those costumes. Then again, those were deliberately made to look sexy, form-fitting so as to highlight each of the girls' personal attributes.

"You… you look really nice." That was all he could say after he could talk again.

"Nice? Is that all you have to say?" Misty inquired. "Aw, geez, Ash, surely you can do better?

And what else could he say? Maybe, he could say that both of them looked really beautiful and sexy, that those costumes looked perfect on them, highlighting her well-toned and shapely figures. That wouldn't sound bad. Yet doing flattery on beautiful girls was never his thing. That was Brock's.

"Well, no matter," Misty said in resignation. "Ash, Serena and I were talking; we want to go the fashion show tomorrow. And we need you to dress up nicely."

"We have to get you a costume," Serena said, a little more relaxed now. "We can rent you one tomorrow, if you want."

"Eh? Ah… yeah, sure." Ash response seemingly came out of inertia.

"Great!" Misty exclaimed in excitement. "Well, if you don't mind, get in the bathroom for a bit, Serena and I need to change. We don't want to ruin these before tomorrow, do we?"

The redhead pushed her friend towards the bathrooms door and closed it. As he waited for them to change their clothes, Ash couldn't do anything but listen to his two friends chattering on the other side.

"I don't know how I let you drag me into this." That was Serena talking.

"Too bad, honey. There's no turning back now." This time it was Misty. "Besides, did you see his face? It was priceless. I'm telling you, he loved us."

"Pikachu… I still don't get it, what are those two up to?" he asked his partner. "Are they just doing it to make me uncomfortable?"

"Pika…" The mouse just exhaled in resignation.

* * *

 _ **The next day…**_

Ash and Pikachu were still waiting for the girls outside of the cabin. He had heard around that, for events like this, women took forever to get dressed. He was playing with his mobile apps to kill time, since he had gotten his costume ready for quite a while. It was rented: an elegant three-piece suit, navy blue, black and yellow, with a black cape and face mask looking a lot like a Lucario. Since the girls had chosen Pokémon motifs for their costumes, he felt he should play along too. Meanwhile, Pikachu was no longer wearing his own costume, instead only carrying the Lightball Serena had won for him hanging from his neck.

"Sorry for the way!" Misty cheerfully said as she opened up the door.

Ash took his time to appreciate the sight, now that he was prepared. The costumed really looked perfect on them. The first time she saw Misty with that Goldeen costume, so many years ago, he admittedly thought it was nice, and he didn't mind repeating the experience now that she was more physically developed. Furthermore, the frills Serena added actually boosted the visual attractive. And speaking of Serena, she didn't fall behind on looking beautiful herself. A rather unusual facet of the Kalosian girl, who despite loving fashion and trying new clothes (a must for her competitions), she was usually more modest on her dress code. Nevertheless, Misty had given her that little nudge to leave her… comfort zone.

As much as he wanted to deny it, Ash decided it wouldn't be bad to enjoy the show as much as he could. And as usual, the two girls clung to his arms as they walked towards the hall where the fashion show would take place.

"Wow, check out how many people," Misty observed as they stepped in.

They had a full house, and everyone was in costume. Serena and Misty were quite surprised to see some girls who went the extra mile to make their own outfits even more daring than the two of them. It was a total mess, and the show hadn't even begun yet. While they waited, they went to the table to get a drink and calm down the thirst. The hall's lighting dimmed, and the reflectors on the catwalk switched on at last, as the two main protagonists of this event took the stage.

The Gym Leaders from Unova and Kalos. Elesa, the blonde supermodel from Nimbasa, wore a wool coat matching her hair. It was open on the front, revealing a light blue and yellow dress, very short and form fitting, exposing her long legs. She also wore heels, the left one being red and the right one blue. Valerie, meanwhile, wore an outfit very similar to the one Ash and Serena remembered from her visit to Laverre, the dark pink kimono with those huge sleeves almost looking like wings, with black, platform sandals matching the long stockings covering her legs. Very different styles, but complementary to each other.

"Hello, everyone!" Elesa grabbed the microphone and shouted excitedly. "Welcome to our joint fashion parade!"

"It's a pleasure to see there are so many of you today," Valerie said, in a calmer tone, but just as cheerful as Elesa.

"You said it, my friend. It's great to see many enthusiasts here to see our collaborative collection, isn't it?"

"Right you are, Elesa. So, without further ado, it's time for us to show the world the fruits of our work."

"Come on, you girls! It's time to dazzle everyone!" Elesa shouted.

In the middle of the crowd's applause (and much to Ash's chagrin, the screaming of Serena and Misty), the two Gym Leaders stepped aside so their models could take the stage for themselves. Serena and Ash quickly recognized amongst them several of Valerie's young assistants in the Laverre Gym; the years had been kind to them, granting great beauty. Not to mention the outfits they wore, very much like the kimonos Valerie designed. Aside from them, there were some older models, whose style was more similar to Elesa's form-fitting dress. Occasionally, Serena and Misty commented on which of those they would like to try: the Cerulean Gym Leader seemed to lean more to Elesa's models, whereas Serena preferred Valerie's. They began to reconsider their opinions when some designs appeared, seemingly combining the best of both worlds: the extravagant Pokémon-like style of Valerie, and the highlight of the silhouettes from Elesa.

Ash, while still wondering how he got dragged (or rather LET himself get dragged), in the inside was trying to picture his two friends with those outfits in the show. Even though he LOVED the ones they were wearing (and that was saying a lot), he wouldn't mind seeing them with some others. In particular, he was picturing Misty with designs inspired in Water-type Pokémon (like Milotic or Suicune), and Serena with some based on the members of her team (Delphox, Roselia or Froslass).

If that weren't enough, the two hostesses decided to join in the fun and take a walk themselves, showing off their own charms to the crowd. Why not taking the chance? They were a pair of beautiful women, admired by many inside and outside of their regions, and their sole presence was enough to get everyone screaming in excitement. Well, almost everyone. Ash would gaze at them, but even if they were attractive… they weren't his type. That was reserved for… certain particular girls.

The noise continued for quite a while, with a few attendants even trying to climb up into the catwalk and had to be pulled off by the security staff. Fortunately no major incidents occurred, and at the end of the show, Elesa and Valerie stepped up again as the crowd gave them another grand round of applause.

"Thank you, thank you all! We love you guys!" Elesa shouted as she sent flying kisses. "Now, before we say goodbye, Valerie and I have one last surprise."

"Right here, right now, we will give two of you guys the chance to challenge us in a double battle," Valerie added. "If you can beat us, we shall offer you a fabulous prize. Who wants to try?"

People started muttering around. The two gym leaders were known to be remarkably strong individually, but together… nobody was sure what kind of combination they could make. Seemingly nobody was brave enough to take them up in their challenge; that is, except one boy and his two female friends. Serena and Misty were excited of imagining the prize (maybe something fashion-related, they would love that). Ash, couldn't care less for the prize, the challenge itself was what mattered.

"You want a challenger?! Here I am!" he shouted. Everyone looked at him, and the two gym leaders immediately recognized him. They were surprised, but quite happy to see him.

"Well, do my eyes fool me, or is that Ash Ketchum I'm seeing?" Valerie asked.

"No, my friend, you're totally correct," Elesa replied. "Fancy meeting you here, Ash. Oh, and aren't you in some good company?"

Obviously, she was talking about the two girls holding his arms. The black-haired boy blushed a little, then again, it wasn't like he could do much to escape them (if he really _wanted_ to escape).

"Well then, we got ourselves one challenger. Who's going to be your partner?" Valerie asked.

"I will!" Serena and Misty cried out in unison. Still clinging to Ash's arms, the two girls suddenly glared at each other, and for a split second, Ash could almost swear he saw sparks flying between their eyes. It was then the trainer realized in what predicament he had just gotten himself into.

"Ash… you do know I'm a gym leader too, right?" Misty said in a sweet voice, as she rubbed her finger on his chest. "If you need a battle partner, there's no one better than me."

"Hey! Don't forget that I too have experience as a Pokémon Coordinator," Serena replied. "Believe it or not, I've gotten better over these years. I could surprise you with my contest battling style."

"You don't say…" Misty challenged her. "Well then, Ash, who are you going to choose?"

Ash kept looking from Misty to Serena, time and time again. Here was one of those flaws he always had since he was a kid and never truly got over with: his habit of jumping headfirst into challenges without thinking things through. Now he had to face the consequences: it was a tag battle, with meant he could only enter with one of the two girls, leaving the other in the sidelines. Strategically speaking, Misty had more battle experience since she was a gym leader herself, but he didn't want to underestimate how much Serena had improved. Misty was giving him a flirty and seductive smile, while Serena gave him sad Rockruff eyes.

"I'm sorry, but… hurry up and decide, time's a wasting," Elesa called them out.

"We're on it," Ash replied. Thinking quickly which would be the safest way not to play favorites and keep his own physical integrity intact, the boy took a deep breath and told him his decision. "Alright, let's do this, how about that the two of you enter in my stead?"

"WHAAAAAAAA?!"

"Look, I'm not in the mood to play favorites," he stated. "If you two are as good as you claim, and I'm sure you are, you should be able to take this on, right?"

Ash Ketchum, passing up a battle? On normal circumstances, that would be impossible, unconceivable, something the old Ash would be ashamed of. However, the current, more mature Ash knew this was for the best. Choosing one of the two as his partner, either for sentimental or strategic reasons, still implied playing favorites, and he didn't want to face an angry Misty or a sad Serena later, which would be the most likely results of either scenario.

However, after Ash's proposal, Misty gave it some thought. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad. Even better, this way, there was actually a way the three of them could fight. A great chance to impress him, and at the same time, maybe the chance to get him to relent on that little request.

"Alright, since you put it that way," Misty agreed, "but there's one condition. We'll be using YOUR Pokémon."

"Say what?" Ash asked.

"Ash's Pokémon? Misty, what are you up to…?" Serena stopped when Misty raised a finger towards her.

"Trust me, I know what I'm doing," the redhead replied, winking. She turned back towards Ash. "Think about it: if we use your Pokémon, it'll be as if the three of us were fighting. Plus, it wouldn't be the first time we do something like this, would it?"

"Hey, that's… that's not a bad idea." Serena nodded in agreement. "Please, Ash?"

"You can't be serious," Ash said. "*Sigh*, if you really have to. Serena, who do you want to use?"

"I think I'll go with Pikachu, if you don't mind. I feel more confident with him," the kalosian girl replied. Obviously she was recalling that one time she commanded him in a battle, when he had a fever and she dressed up in his clothes when that crazy rocker guy came up to challenge him so he could rest.

"Alright, you heard her, buddy." Ash gave him the 'go ahead', and Pikachu jumped off of his shoulder towards Serena's arm. With this, Ash turned to Misty. "I don't have to ask you which one you want, do I?"

"Obviously not," the redhead replied in delight, as Ash grabbed Greninja's Pokéball and let him out. Misty approached him. "Hey, Greninja, you're looking good."

She began touching him everywhere to feel him, until she stopped on his tongue/muffler. The frog suddenly relaxed and made a gesture that he seemed to like that, it seemed to be his sweet spot. Ash just rolled his eyes, but since Elesa and Valerie were getting impatient, he told both of his Pokémon to obey Serena and Misty in this battle. All was set now: the girls and the two Pokémon walked up to the stage, face to face with their opponents. Elesa and Valerie exchanged glances, each one grabbing one Pokéball, ready to start.

"Zebstrika, come out and dazzle them all!"

"Mr. Mime, your turn!"

The Electric zebra and Psychic-Fairy mime appeared. Serena and Misty gestured Ash's Pokémon to get in position. The kalosian, following Ash's example, decided to open up with an offensive move.

"Pikachu, use Thunderbolt against Mr. Mime!"

"Pika-CHUUUUUUUUUUU!" The electric rodent unleashed his attack against Valerie's Pokémon, but to his shock (and also Serena's), the attack was redirected towards Zebstrika, who just stood there and absorbed it.

"What?!" Serena gasped.

"That Zebstrika must have Lightning Rod." Misty said. "We should be careful with that. Greninja, Water Shuriken!"

"Ninja!" The frog took two spikes of the water on his back, and reformed them in a couple of smaller shurikens, throwing one to each of their opponents.

"Mr. Mime, use Protect," Valerie calmly said.

"Mr. Mime!" At this command, the Psychic-Fairy Pokémon jumped in front of his partner, placing both hands forward to generate a barrier to stop both shurikens. From behind, Elesa and Zebstrika were ready to begin the counterattack.

"Zebstrika, Charge Beam against Greninja!" the Unovan model called out.

El equine Pokémon focused its electric powers and prepared to fire its attack in a focused energy beam. Misty and Serena tensed up: that initial mistake the latter had done upon using an Electric attack without anticipating the Lightning Rod would boost the power of this attack, and it could even increase further every time it was used.

"Greninja, Double Team!" Misty commanded.

"Ninja!"

Greninja leapt high in the air, creating multiple copies of himself all over the battlefield, and just as soon as Zebstrika fired off the beam, it hit one of the clones, fizzling it out, but there were still many around.

"Mr. Mime, Dazzling Gleam," Valerie called.

"Mime!" The mime began glowing in a multicolored light. The attack went wide all over the field, hitting Pikachu and fizzling out all of Greninja's clones, identifying the real one.

"Zebstrika, Charge Beam!" Elesa shouted

"Strika!" Zebstrika once again charged up its attack, this time managing to hit Greninja. The frog covered himself with his arms trying to endure it, although the power boost was notable, pushing him backwards. For a miracle he managed to land on his feet, despite his vulnerability to that element.

"Greninja, Aerial Ace and Cut against Zebstrika!" Misty shouted.

"You too, Pikachu, Quick Attack and Iron Tail against Mr. Mime!" Serena cried out.

The electric mouse dashed forward towards the mime, his tail taking on a metallic glow, and the frog did the same with the zebra. Thanks to their great speed, both of Ash's Pokémon landed their hits, and the Iron Tail was supereffective against Mr. Mime for being a Fairy-type, even more thanks to the speed boost from the Quick Attack. Valerie and Elesa's Pokémon staggered after taking the strikes, but they were still far from being defeated.

"Zebstrika, Flame Charge!" Elesa commanded.

"Zebstrika!" Stomping furiously on the ground, the zebra ran engulfed in flames against Pikachu, so fast that Serena had no time to react, neither could he dodge by himself.

"Mr. Mime, prepare a Psybeam attack," Valerie indicated. With this, her Pokémon began charging psychic energy in its hands, focusing it in a multicolor sphere. Serena foresaw that this attack would go aimed at Pikachu: he was the only logical target.

"Misty… Greninja is also a Dark-type," she whispered to her partner. The redhead looked at her sideways, and nodded in understanding. Said and done, Mr. Mime fired its attack towards Pikachu.

"Greninja, jump in front of Pikachu!" Misty yelled.

"Ninja!" Crouching on his legs, Greninja leapt to get in between Pikachu and Mr. Mime's Psybeam. Upon making contact, the attack dissolved into nothingness, without any effect, shielding him and giving the rodent the space to counterattack.

"Pikachu, Quick Attack and Iron Tail!" Serena called again.

"Zebstrika, intercept with Double Kick!" Elesa shouted back.

Pikachu rushed to strike at Mr. Mime, but just like Greninja, Zebstrika got in his way to shield its partner, rearing on its hind legs, and the front ones glowing in orange energy, ready to intercept Pikachu's metallic tail strokes. Equal in power, both attackers stepped back after the impacts, with both Pokémon duos taking a moment to catch their breath.

From below the stage, Ash could see his friends were doing well, and that was saying a lot, considering the disadvantage they were at. Zebstrika's Lightning Rod ability neutralized Pikachu's electric attacks (not to mention the Charge Beam boosted its power even more). If it wasn't because he couldn't intervene, he'd have helped them with a few pointers. Greninja had trained hard in endurance to withstand Electric-type attacks, but even he'd have his limit if Zebstrika kept pushing with that attack, and they were severely handicapped if Pikachu couldn't use his strongest attacks to help. Which was exactly what went through Serena's mind at the time. Maybe choosing Pikachu wasn't such a good idea after all.

"Serena… Pikachu can use Volt Tackle." This time it was Misty who whispered at her, in the same tone as the Kalosian when she told him Greninja was a Dark-type.

"Volt Tackle?" Serena repeated. "But how would that help?"

"Lightning Rod can easily drag special attacks like Thunderbolt or Electroball, but Volt Tackle is physical. We just need to stay out of reach," Misty explained. "Greninja and I will take care of Zebstrika, you and Pikachu focus on Mr. Mime."

Serena had never seen Pikachu use Volt Tackle during her time travelling with Ash, did he always have that attack in his arsenal? It seemed risky for Misty to fight Zebstrika head on, but considering that Greninja had been able to beat opponents with type advantage before, she chose to trust them. Meanwhile, Valerie and Elesa decided it was time to take off the kiddie gloves and get serious.

"Zebstrika, use Wild Charge against Greninja!" Elesa called.

"Zeb!" Just like before, the electric zebra began stomping wildly before dashing off, but this time engulfed in an electric aura, not unlike that of a Volt Tackle.

"Greninja, dodge and use Double Team!" Misty countered.

"Ninja!"

Just like before, Greninja created multiple clones trying to confuse his opponents. Valerie, just like Elesa, decided to take priority on taking out Greninja first, and she was about to use an attack that would help them do so. First, she ordered Mr. Mime to use again Dazzling Gleam to dispel the clones and identify the real one. Once Zebstrika used the Wild Charge, Serena replied ordering Pikachu to counter with the Quick Attack/Iron Tail, managing to intercept him, but in doing so, they left Mr. Mime unwatched, thus giving it the chance to prepare another attack.

"Mr. Mime, Energy Ball!" Valerie commanded.

"Mime!" Cupping its hands together, Mr. Mime created a green energy sphere, ready to throw it at Greninja. This got Serena on alert: that was a Grass-type attack.

"Pikachu, stop Mr. Mime with Volt Tackle!" she called.

Taking advantage of the distance, Pikachu ran off, charging up in electricity before Zebstrika could activate its ability. Despite his efforts, however, he couldn't stop Mr. Mime from hurling the green sphere with great swiftness and accuracy. The attack caused Greninja to stagger, giving Zebstrika the perfect chance to follow with a Charge Beam. The frog managed to tank the hits, but just by the hairs, they could see he was getting to his limit.

Still, this had a prize. Pikachu managed to hit Mr. Mime with the Volt Tackle. A devastating attack, as Serena could see, although the recoil caused Pikachu some damage as well upon hitting the opponent. That was a strike they could capitalize on, if only because Elesa and Valerie didn't know he had it. Now, they grouped together their two Pokémon to stay in Lightning Rod range and avoid another attack like that.

"It's time to end this. Mr. Mime, Energy Ball!" Valerie called.

"Zebstrika, Charge Beam!" Elesa followed.

The most obvious course: Elesa and Valerie were trying to take out Greninja first, capitalizing on the fact they both had good type matchups against him. Serena and Misty didn't move: they anticipated that they'd launch their attacks separately, the first to have Greninja dodge, and the second to catch him off-guard while he was vulnerable. The question was, which one would come first?

"Greninja, prepare to jump when I tell you!" Misty warned him.

The frog waited, while the Water-type specialist looked from one side to the other. Mr. Mime o Zebstrika? Energy Ball or Charge Beam? She had to predict which of the two would come first to dodge. If Zebstrika attacked first, she'd have to jump and throw a Water Shuriken to counter the Energy Ball. If Mr. Mime did, it'd be the other way around. After two seconds, Mr. Mime finished charging its attack and raised its hands to throw it.

"Greninja, prepare a Water Shuriken and charge at Mr. Mime!" Misty commanded.

"Ninja!"

The frog ran off with the shuriken in hand, ready to throw it once Mr. Mime launched his own attack. But it was a trick: Mr. Mime just moved the hands pretending it'd throw it. Instead, Zebstrika fired first, and the Charge Beam went out much wider and faster than the previous one.

"Greninja, look out! JUMP!" Misty yelled in desperation.

Greninja was barely able to react in time and get out of the Charge Beam's reach, but having jumped that way, Valerie and Elesa's plan had worked: now he was in the air fully exposed for the other attack. The finishing blow was at hand, thus in that instant Valerie pointed her Mr. Mime to throw its attack. He wouldn't be able to dodge in time.

"Pikachu, stop it with Electroball!" Serena exclaimed, reacting in the very last second.

"Pikapikapika-CHUPI!"

The green energy sphere collided with the electric one. Intentionally, Pikachu held it on his tail and didn't let it go until he was at point-blank range, to prevent it from being redirected by Zebstrika's Lightning Rod, thus allowing Greninja to land back safely without further damage. However, this still complicated things more: if Zebstrika launched another Charge Beam attack, it would be even stronger than the previous one, and there was no guarantee that he could dodge it.

"Think, think… what would Ash do in this moment?" the Kalos girl asked herself.

Serena glanced at her friend, who unlike the rest of the crowd was unusually quiet: no screaming, no clapping, and no cheering at all. Ash returned the glance with determination, trying to convey the message that he trusted them, that he firmly believed they could win. At that time, he would have thought of something, something crazy and unusual, but it would help him win. If Valerie and Elesa were focusing their attention on Greninja for considering him the bigger threat, maybe she and Misty should do something similar.

"We got to do something about Zebstrika and its Lightning Rod," Serena said. Upon thinking for a couple seconds, the realization suddenly hit her. Maybe that was the key after all. "I got it! Misty, have Greninja evade everything and be ready to attack Zebstrika when I tell you!"

"Do you have a plan?" the redhead asked. Serena nodded in response, her eyes clearly saying 'it's crazy enough to work', so typical of Ash or anyone else who had enough contact with him. "Alright, hope you know what you're doing. Greninja, Double Team!"

Greninja obliged and summoned his clones again. The usual response from their opponents came up immediately: Valerie once again had Mr. Mime attack with Dazzling Gleam to dispel them, preparing the chance for Zebstrika to charge with an electric attack to finish him off. Then, Serena did the unthinkable:

"Pikachu, Thunderbolt now!" she commanded. The electric mouse complied, and as usual, the attack was redirected by Zebstrika's Lightning Rod.

"What are you doing, sweetheart?" Elesa asked. "Don't you see that'll only power up my Zebstrika even more?"

"Yeah, that's exactly what I want," Serena replied. "Pikachu, keep up the attack, don't stop!"

The rodent not only kept up: he actually poured even more energy into it. His electric energy reserves were impressive, no doubt about that, but everyone wondered what they could be up to. Aside from Ash, who didn't take long to deduce what Serena was trying to do, the first who realized were Misty, Valerie and Elesa, the first smiling from ear to ear, and the other two having a shiver, particularly the Unovan model, since the ability that gave them their advantage was about to be used against them.

"Greninja, charge, attack Zebstrika with Cut!" Misty called.

The frog shot forward at full speed, holding two kunai-shaped water blades, as he also understood the plan. Inside, he thought it was spontaneous, unpredictable, the wonders of having chosen Ash as his trainer. As Pikachu kept attacking with Thunderbolt, Zebstrika powered up more and more, but this had a complication: while the Lightning Rod absorbed electrical power, Zebstrika was unable to move at all, whether it was to attack or defense. Thus, the zebra was rendered helpless to stop Greninja from attacking. Seeing that her partner couldn't protect herself, Valerie decided to act in her stead.

"Mr. Mime, stop Greninja with Protect!" she called.

"Mime!" The Psychic-Fairy Pokémon jumped in Greninja's path to try and defend its partner. But Misty wouldn't fall for that defense this time.

"Greninja, dodge with Aerial Ace and keep going!" Misty commanded.

Mr. Mime placed itself in front of Greninja and raised its barrier to try and cut off his advance. It would have been successful, if it wasn't because Greninja used the Aerial Ace to stop short of slamming into the barrier, vanishing from sight, and then reappearing behind Zebstrika, where Mr. Mime's protect wouldn't be of any help. That was the cue for Serena and Pikachu to cease the Thunderbolt and clear the way for their partners.

"Greninja, Cut!" Misty yelled.

"Gre… NINJA!" The ninja frog extended his two blades, jumping over the helpless Zebstrika. All that stored power wouldn't save it now.

 _ **SLASH!**_ A pair of direct cuts to the neck, landing a critical hit. The electric zebra let out a wince of pain, before exhaling a pitiful whine and crumble down on the ground, defeated. One out, only one more to go, and with Zebstrika out of the way, Pikachu was free to use his stronger attacks. Now Valerie and Mr. Mime were on their own.

"Alright, Greninja, use Water Shuriken!" Misty kept pressing on.

"Pikachu, Electroball!" Serena added.

Both Pokémon launched their attacks simultaneously. Mr. Mime had to jump out of the way, barely dodging, but motivated after having gotten one of their opponents out of the game, Ash's friends decided it was time while they still had the chance and kept up their attack.

"Pikachu, Iron Tail!" Serena shouted. The rodent charged with the metallic tail to deliver the strike.

"Mr. Mime, Protect!" Valerie shouted back, in a desperate attempt to protect Mr. Mime. The Steel-type attack had higher priority, but it cleared the path for Greninja to come from behind.

"Greninja, Aerial Ace and Water Shuriken!" Misty yelled.

Even though Protect saved it from Pikachu's Iron Tail, Greninja once again snuck behind Mr. Mime using Aerial Ace, his water giant star in the ready to throw it right on its back. It was a direct hit, and once the Protect barrier wore off, Serena and Pikachu charged with another Volt Tackle for more damage. Both of Ash's Pokémon placed themselves side to side, right in front of their (interim) trainers, who were exchanging complicity glances with one another.

"What do you say we end this in style?" Misty asked.

"That's great for me." Serena smiled. "Pikachu, give me a supercharged Electroball!"

"Greninja, Water Shuriken, full power!"

Pikachu began charging up one last electric sphere, having all free reign to use his power, while Greninja followed suit as he raised a giant water star over his head. Valerie, refusing to give up until the last moment, prepared one last ditch effort.

"Mr. Mime, use Energy Ball with everything you have!"

As its two opponents prepared their attacks, Mr. Mime followed suit with its own, focusing on its hands a green energy sphere, powering it up until it more or less grew the size of a beach ball. Pikachu was the first to throw his Electroball, thus Mr. Mime responded in kind. Greninja threw his shuriken, which merged with the Pikachu's attack, creating an electrified shuriken with the sphere in the center, faster and more powerful than either of the individual attacks. The Energy Ball could have stopped them separately, but combined… upon colliding, the 'Electro-Shuriken' quickly overpowered the Energy Ball and kept going forward towards Mr. Mime, who could only watch in horror the incoming projectile about to hit.

 _ **BOOM!**_ The impact was direct, letting out electric sparks and raising a lot of smoke. Once it cleared, they saw the result: Mr. Mime was down too.

"Zebstrika and Mr. Mime, both of them are unable to battle!" the girl acting as referee declared. "Victory goes to the challengers, Misty and Serena!"

"YEAH! WE DID IT!" Ash's friends shouted in unison, high-fiving each other in triumph, while the crowd exploded in applause and cheering.

"Pi-Pikachu!"

"Ninja!" Greninja and Pikachu high-fived too.

Elesa and Valerie returned their fallen Pokémon, and then exchanged glances with each other. They didn't need to say anything; they had lost, but they didn't feel bad for it. Misty and Serena had fought wonderfully, even more so considering that those weren't their own Pokémon they were commanding, but to their credit, they were able to imitate very well their owner's battling style. After all, the Gym Leaders had faced him when he challenged them in their respective regions to earn those badges. Ash Ketchum's influence was quite noticeable in his two friends. Now it was time to congratulate them as it was due.

"You were amazing, both of you," said Valerie.

"You left us all dazzled," added Elesa. "I haven't had such an exciting match in years."

"The credit is not only ours," Serena replied with modesty. "Ash trained them, after all."

"Yeah, these are definitely his Pokémon." Elesa kneeled to stroke Pikachu on the chin. "They're even more impressive than the last time, if you allow me to say so."

"Alright, so, now that we're done with this… didn't you two say you'd have a surprise for us?" Misty said. Elesa and Valerie giggled: obviously the hadn't forgotten. The prize for beating them.

"Alright. So, since you girls seem to love fashion as much as us, how about this?" Elesa produced a paper that looked like a signed certificate. "Our new collection is exclusive and it won't be out for three more months, but if you want, you can have a little in advance."

"Aside from the costumes, you can also request for accessories for your Pokémon, if you want," added Valerie. "All you have to do is presenting this at any of our affiliate shops. The rest is on us."

Serena and Misty's eyes glittered in joy and excitement; suddenly they felt like little children inside a sweets or toys shop with everything for themselves. They hugged each other and began to jump in celebration. From below, Ash could only watch and smile in resignation. They reminded him so much of himself when he was a rookie, but he wasn't one to talk, considering that he would still engage in that every now and then.

* * *

 _ **At night…**_

Another great day, another great evening, and the trio was exhausted. They had to take turns to take off their costumes (especially the girls, with theirs being so tight and all), but now they were ready to go to bed. Serena and Misty couldn't still contain their excitement. They had just won another grand prize to celebrate, and they were now watching the catalogue.

"Hey, Ash, would you like if we bought you something too?" Misty asked. "Elesa and Valerie's collection looks amazing, and I'm sure you'd look great with some of these."

"Didn't you have enough with cutting my hair?" the boy replied from the bed, playing with his mobile apps.

"Aw, don't tell me you're still mad at that." Misty made a fake pout. "We made you a favor and you know it. That wild hair doesn't become you anymore."

"Doesn't matter, it'll grow back." Ash just shrugged. "That's your prize, enjoy it yourselves."

"Party pooper." Misty then turned towards Serena. "Really, tell me you wouldn't love to see him in one of these."

"Sure I would." Serena gazed at one in particular that looked like a prince's garb. Just picturing Ash in something so elegant made her eyes sparkle, and she couldn't hold back a dreamy sigh.

Ash rolled his eyes. Women, who could understand them? They were still a mystery to him, no matter if they had been his friends for over one and a half decade, give or take a little. Who was counting the days, anyway? For now, he decided to take a shower and then drop himself on the bed for a well-earned sleep. Who would have guessed that a costume party and a fashion show could be so tiresome? At least for men, because Serena and Misty still brimmed with energy. And now that Ash was in the bathroom and out of earshot, they decided to spend it talking about something else.

"It was fun, don't you think?" Misty said. "This makes me wish even more to catch a Greninja for myself one day."

"Would you like to come with me to Kalos after these vacations?" Serena asked.

"I'd love to, but I have to be sure my sisters won't be slacking off with the gym." Misty stopped for a bit before continuing. "Say, Serena, there's something I've wanted to ask you for a while."

"What is it?"

"When you traveled with Ash around Kalos… did you ever encounter, you know, some 'competition' for him?" Misty tried to be as direct as possible.

"Competition? As in… other girls?" the Kalosian replied, and the redhead nodded in response. "*Sigh*, actually… yes, a couple of times."

"Hmm, and how did you deal with it?" the redhead inquired with a bit of interest. "Will you give me some names I should be on the lookout for?"

"To be honest, I think there's only one, at least in Kalos," Serena confessed. "Her name's Miette. Believe it or not, we started as rivals in a Poképuffs contest, but later she turned out to have entered Pokémon Showcasing as well."

"Hmm… and what was she like?" Misty asked.

"Even though we often competed against each other, she was actually pretty nice for the most part, if a little snobby at times. In fact, she seemed to catch on very early that I had a crush on Ash, and decided to flirt with him just to tease and get reactions out of me. Still, one day that we met by chance, she confessed to me that, she did it for so long, she actually came to realize Ash was her type after all. Ironic, isn't it?"

"I'm not that surprised, that would happen to any girl who spends enough time with him." Misty obviously included herself and Serena in that group.

"What about you? Is there any of them in your region?" the performer-coordinator asked.

"Perhaps not in Kanto, but there's a couple of them in other regions we visited together," the Cerulean Gym Leader replied. "One of them was called Melody, but she lives in Shamouti, in the Orange Islands. The other, a female Johto trainer called Macy. Unlike your friend Miette, those two went very physical with Ash just as soon as they met him. Didn't have any sense of personal space, it seemed."

"Oh, my." Serena covered her mouth. "So what did you do?"

"What do you think I did? Scare them away, of course. Or at least I tried." Misty lowered her head in a bit of shame. "At the time, I was really sensitive if someone insinuated that Ash was my boyfriend or something like that, and of course I wouldn't admit it out loud."

"Hey, you're not the only one," said Serena. "You think it's easy to admit upfront that you like someone, especially if it's a boy you've known for so long?"

Misty nodded in agreement. It was even harder when you spent so much time denying having any feelings for that boy, like she did for all the time they traveled together. She still envied (or rather, admired, that would be the right word) Serena for having been brave enough to express her feelings somehow, even if it wasn't with words.

"So… how are we going to have that… competition, you and me?" Serena finally asked so as to break the silence.

"I think we can spend the first week getting to know the place, so we can decide where we'd like to go," Misty replied. "Then we can choose a couple of spots, some to go the three of us together, and of course some where each of us can spend some alone time with Ash."

"That's fine with me. We'll do it on equal time, right?" Serena asked.

"Right." Misty winked.

They both continued chatting and laughing, sharing some interesting stories, about Ash and many of their respective 'love rivals'. Misty even told her about that one time she intentionally made him angry, by pretending she was attracted to an older boy (who, admittedly, she did find handsome) just to see his reaction. When Serena gave her the evil eye, Misty immediately added that boy was a Gym Leader, and she didn't mean it in a bad way (an outburst of immaturity, looking back now). In fact, she felt so remorseful about it, later when Ash faced another Gym Leader who openly showed to be attracted to her, during the challenge she began cheering for Ash when he seemed about to lose, which helped him turn around the fight and win. Serena commented that she would have loved to see that.

After a while, Ash came out of the shower, already with his sleeping clothes on, and asked them what they talked about. Misty refused to answer, other than 'women stuff', and he chose not to press any further, having the (correct) feeling that they would be talking about him. Obviously those two were up to something with him in the middle, seeing that the two were very enthusiastic in dragging him to have fun with them. Not that he would complain, he admittedly was enjoying his time, even if it was more tiresome than any kind of training he'd ever done, but he still wanted to know what they were up to.

They still had two days left before reaching Alola, and for some reason, Ash had the feeling that his vacations would become even more active and swinging once they reached their destination. He could barely wait.

 _ **To be continued…**_

* * *

 **Author's notes:**

Alright, sorry for taking so long with this. Things had been pretty hectic around here, so much to do and so little time

Anyway, this pretty much covers the part of the cruiser as I wanted. I personally enjoyed writing the tag battle, since I could use it to give Pikachu some screen time, and showcase Misty and Serena as an effective team, a way to make their friendship stronger. How did it end up, did I make it? That said, I do have plans to have them use their own Pokémon over the course of the story, so don't worry, they'll too get their proper spotlight.

So, before I leave, I think I'll reply to two particular reviews individually. The very first one I got in the English version of this story: while I've decided to take up your pointers, I still don't like the way you came about it, and I'll say it again, you were lucky you caught me on a good day. The other is for the guest **Pokemon fan.** There's a reason why I left a preliminary note in the previous chapter recommending to read "Friends and Rivals Alike", since the questions you asked are answered there (like I said, that was the prologue for this story). With that done, now it's time to properly thank for the reviews to **ManleyTogekiss, Pokemon fan, Harmonious Wolf, Guest** and **Kori A Grayson.** As usual, I'll first write the next chapter in Spanish, so hopefully I'll have it ready in a month's time (when I'm done with other stories I have in course). See ya around.


	3. Alola! Welcome to Melemele Island!

**Crossroads – Between a Mermaid and a Princess.**

 **By Fox McCloude.**

 **Disclaimer:** Pokémon and all related characters belong to Satoshi Tajiri and Nintendo. All rights reserved.

 **Part 3:** Alola! Welcome to Melemele Island!

* * *

 _ **Alola region…**_

The ship was approaching the Melemele Island port. The previous day, after being extremely busy with the special events in the cruiser, Ash, Misty and Serena decided to spend the last night before arriving to their destination relaxing on deck, stargazing and enjoying the night marine breeze while having dinner outdoors. After a good night of sleep, the trio was ready to begin their vacation in this tropical paradise.

"Attention all passengers, we're about to dock in Melemele Island. Please report to the deck for disembarking. Thank you very much for travelling aboard the S.S. Anne."

"We're almost there," said Misty. "Time to pick up our stuff, guys."

"Misty, what was the name of the hotel we're staying at?" Serena asked.

"It's called Hano Grand Resort," the redhead replied. "According to this, the chain opened a second one in Melemele, and it's the most luxurious hotel in the entire island. It even has its own private beach, I'm dying to get there."

"So am I. Aren't you excited, Ash?" Serena turned to the boy, who was getting his stuff into his bag.

"Sure, of course." He still hadn't told them he had visited Alola for a long season. He already knew the place, although after so many years, things surely must have changed a lot. He couldn't help but wonder how the friends he met in the Trainer School were faring since he left. Maybe he'd like to stop by the place, if only just to take a peek and the memories.

Having packed all of their belongings, the trio left the cabin and went straight to deck, ready to disembark. All passengers whose stop was this place were already heading for the long boarding ramp going down to the dock, and as always, the two girls were happily clinging to Ash's arms. They had been doing this during the entire week, wherever they went, so at this point he had gotten used to it and simply accepted it in resignation, although admittedly, he actually enjoyed it.

Once they stepped on land, the first thing Misty did was calling a taxi to take them to their hotel. As they were driven through the streets, the three of them looked through the windows at their surroundings, the girls marveling themselves at the sight of the city, while Ash and Pikachu noted how little things had changed since they last came to the region. The buildings now were a lot higher, but in essence, the place was still mostly the same. Meanwhile, Serena and Misty couldn't help but get interested in how, aside from cars and other traditional vehicles, many of the locals used Pokémon as a means of traveling around, either by riding them or having them pulling carriages. This wasn't unheard of in their home regions, although they had never seen so many people doing it in the same place.

"Would you look at that?" said Misty, pointing a couple of Tauros pulling a rickshaw-like carriage.

"People seem to like using Pokémon for transport here a lot," Serena commented.

"It's a way for them to work together," Ash piped up. Both girls looked at him.

"Do you know something about it?" Serena asked.

Ash stared at her for a bit before answering. "Yeah, believe it or not, Mom and I came here on vacation once. I actually spent a long season here, back when Alola didn't even had its own Pokémon League." He confessed.

The two girls stared at each other. That was new: none of them was aware that Ash had come to this specific region. Was it that nothing interesting happened in this place? Still, they didn't feel curious enough to press forward anymore, so they just sat back in silence the rest of the trip to their hotel.

Once they got to their destination, they paid the taxi driver with their own money, given that it wasn't included in the service of the prize Misty had won. Carrying their baggage, the three looked to the building before them: four stories high, and occupied a terrain twice as wide as Ash's neighborhood, by his estimation. And that was just the main building, without taking into account the additional facilities, as well as the private beach and a golf course, among other things.

"Alright, here we are." Misty stretched her arms. "Come on, time's a wasting!"

The redhead was the first to enter the reception, followed closely by her two friends. She seemed the most eager, which made sense considering she had won the prize and these vacations had been her idea in the first place. She handed over the certificate, and the receptionist searched in the computer to check its authenticity.

"Room for three people, three weeks' time, and all services included." The receptionist registered their data, and then she grabbed the keys and gave one copy to each of them. "Room 311, on the third floor. Please enjoy your stay with us."

"Thank you," The redhead said. "Come on, you guys."

Taking the elevator to the third floor, the trio looked on both sides of the corridor, until they reached the right room. Misty opened the door, and they had to admit it was pretty good: a giant-screen TV, very comfy-looking couches with a nicely decorated table, and the balcony gave a splendid view of the beach. Only one problem, though: there were two beds, a single and a double one.

At this, Ash assumed that it was obvious who would occupy which, so without saying a single word he went towards the single bed and placed his baggage on it.

"Hey, wait a minute," said Misty. "Who gave you the rights to claim the single bed for yourself?"

"The rights?" He turned around. "Isn't it obvious? I'm a guy, you two are girls."

"You're kidding, right?" The redhead placed her arms akimbo. "What's the matter? Are you afraid of sharing a bed with one of us?"

The boy felt the color going up to his face, and he wasn't the only one: Serena also turned red-hot at that comment. And not exactly because she was afraid, but because a part of her was didn't dislike the idea, and she was rather embarrassed to admit it. How could she have those thoughts?

"Misty… I don't have any problem with that." Serena tried (futilely) to hide her 'actual' thoughts on the matter.

"Serena, don't play innocent." Misty grinned. "You'd love that, wouldn't you? And I can't deny I wouldn't mind at all. It wouldn't be the first time we'd sleep so close to each other, right?"

Of course, Misty didn't mean it _that_ way. During their travels together, they always slept in separate beds and sacks, but usually very close to one another, and occasionally Misty felt tempted to get a little closer or do something while he slept, like holding his hand or even stealing a kiss. She never followed through with it, though.

' _Great, here we go again,'_ Ash thought, looking sideways at Pikachu.

"Pika." The electric mouse gave him a look that said 'Don't count on me for this'.

Alright, he was on his own. He had to think of something, fast. Maybe there was way to solve this… issue. He pulled out something from his pocket, it was a coin. The girls looked at it with interest: it had the carving of a Unovan Legendary Pokémon, Kyurem.

"Let's decide this the old-fashioned way, a coin toss." Ash proposed. "If this Kyurem comes up, I keep the single one. Otherwise, you'll have to decide which of you girls has to share bed with me."

The boy almost hated himself for saying it that way, but it any case, it wasn't like there was a much better way to say it. Misty wondered if there was a trick, and stared at Serena with an interrogating expression. The Kalosian girl simply shrugged, making it known she was fine with it. Both girls nodded, and Ash tossed the coin, catching it back and covering it with his hand. Waiting for a few seconds, he removed the hand to reveal the result…

"Darn, Kyurem came up." Misty pouted. Serena just giggled nervously.

"Well, I guess that means I get to keep the single bed." Ash grinned.

As they began pulling out their stuff from their bags, the boy once again pocketed his coin. What Ash didn't tell them, however, was that the coin actually had Kyurem on both sides. Except that on one side it was Black Kyurem, and on the other it was White Kyurem, although those differences we're not so glaringly obvious without the color. Only Ash knew well which one was which. Lucky for them they didn't think of checking if it was a trick coin.

Really, having to spend his vacation with these two would have its issues, even if the two were his closest friends. Meanwhile, the two girls also unpacked their stuff on the double bed.

"Alright, with that out of the way, what do we do now?" Misty asked. "We've still got the whole afternoon, and I think I'd like to go out somewhere."

"I agree." Serena nodded. "I'd like to know the place as well, what do you think, Ash?"

"Sounds good. In fact… I think I know a place we can visit. Maybe we'll run into some old friends who'd love to meet you girls."

Serena and Misty exchanged confused looks. Friends of Ash in Alola? Well, he always had a great talent to make friends with everyone, everywhere. Maybe they were interesting people.

* * *

 _ **A while later…**_

Once again, Ash found himself strolling through the streets of the Alola region, with Misty and Serena firmly clinging to his arms. He couldn't believe it had been so long since he first came here on vacation with his mom, and ended up staying for a whole season. He had no regrets, of course. Despite how many years had passed, things hadn't changed as much as he imagined; in fact, the place they were going to was practically the same as when he left, except for some minor remodeling. They were standing in front of the entrance.

"Pokémon Trainer School?" Serena asked, as she stared at the place.

"I spent a season in this place," Ash replied. "I wonder how is everyone doing since I left."

"You being you, I'm not surprised you'd have to go back to school," Misty quipped.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Ash glared at her, eyes squinted. "On second thought, you don't have to answer."

"Pikachu," the electric rodent said. He then started giving off sparks involuntarily, as if he felt something. "Pi?"

"What's wrong, Pikachu?"

"Maru, maru!"

Pikachu suddenly tensed upon recognizing that cry, knowing exactly whose it was. Suddenly, a small, round-shaped hedgehog-like Pokémon, colored white and gray with brown and yellow spots came to them. Serena and Misty had no idea what it was, neither why all of a sudden it jumped on Pikachu to… nuzzle on him?

"Pika, pikachu!" The rodent on the ground cried out, the spiked furball already on top of him.

"Maru, toge, maru!" The hedgehog happily jumped on top of his belly.

"Togedemaru, get back here! You can't just go running off like…!"

In that moment, two people whom Ash perfectly recognized arrived at the scene. A short, portly young man, though not quite as much as Ash remembered him, with short, messy orange hair (a much lighter shade than Misty's), round face, and small beady eyes. His companion was a young woman around the same height as Misty and Serena, with light blond hair tied in a ponytail, pale skin and baby blue eyes. After them came a Pokémon that Misty and Serena would have recognized as a Ninetales, except that its fur was all white-bluish instead of the traditional yellow they knew, and the tuft on its head and tails were different, wavier, like clouds. Although they couldn't deny it was very beautiful. Still, the two newly arrived humans quickly looked at our hero.

"Ash? Ash, is that you?" asked the boy.

"Sophocles, Lillie, what's up?" Ash greeted them. "Long time no see."

"Ash! What a nice surprise!" The girl quickly ran towards him to properly greet him. "It's been so long, seven, eight years?"

"More or less." Ash smiled, until in that moment, he felt _that_ again. "Owwwww! Misty!"

"Ash… won't you introduce us to your friends?" The redhead once again had that smile of hers in her face. Serena just shook her head and giggled nervously, a small sweat drop rolling down her temple.

"I was about to," Ash replied. "These are my friends. Misty from Cerulean City in Kanto, and Serena, from Vaniville Town in Kalos. Girls, these are Lillie and Sophocles, two of the friends I told you about here in Alola."

"Hello, nice to meet you both," said Lillie. "We need to tell the others, surely they'll be happy to see you."

"We can all meet up after class, so we can get to know each other." Sophocles suggested.

"After class? Don't tell me you're still attending the Trainer School."

"We're not students anymore, Ash," Lillie said. "We're teachers now."

"Really?" The Pallet trainer was quite surprised. "Wow, seems like I've missed out many things."

"And we'll be happy to tell you everything," said Sophocles. "But right now, we're running late. Togedemaru, let's go."

"We should go too, Shiron." Lillie talked to her Ninetales. "We'll see you after class!"

And not wasting a second more, the two entered the faculty along with their Pokémon, although Sophocles had to grab his Togedemaru by force so she wouldn't jump on Pikachu again. They had a class to arrive, quickly. As they walked away, Serena and Misty approached Ash.

"You've got some nice friends." Serena commented.

"And you've got yet to meet the others." Ash added. "You'll like them when you know them."

"You're always making friends everywhere, aren't you, Ash?" Misty quipped.

"Is that a bad thing?" he replied.

Misty snickered at that. No, making friends everywhere was not a bad thing at all. Making _female_ friends… that was a different story. In any case, both girls were anxious to meet Ash's Alolan friends. What kind of people would they be?

* * *

 _ **After class…**_

The morning flew by, and after midday Ash, Misty and Serena were at the teacher's break room in the trainer school. Here they could finally get to meet the rest of Ash's friends, who were also, unsurprisingly, teachers at the school. Aside from Sophocles and Lillie, the others were: Mallow, a green-haired, dark-skinned girl who taught nutritional principles for future trainers to better feed their Pokémon; Kiawe, a tall, red-haired young man, specialist on battles and who taught combat strategies (Serena and Misty noticed he too wore a bracelet very similar to Ash's, albeit with a red crystal); and last but not least, Lana, a blue-haired girl who, like Misty, had a passion for Water-type Pokémon, and didn't take long to make friends with the Cerulean Gym Leader, sharing tastes in many particular activities. They all had many stories to share with Ash.

"This is incredible," said Mallow while serving everyone a scoop of her secret stew. "Who would have guessed you'd become a Frontier Brain _and_ a Gym Leader at once?"

"It was Scott's idea, actually," Ash replied. "He said Pallet Town would gain more notoriety that way, and would bring in more challengers. I'm not complaining: the pay is excellent and keeps me and my Pokémon in shape."

"I'm very glad for you." Lillie smiled. "One day we'll have to travel to Kanto to see that Battle Coliseum with our own eyes, right, Shiron?"

"Nine, nine!" The white-blue fox nodded happily.

"I'm very interested in that Pokémon Showcase stuff, too." Mallow added. "It sounds really fun, I'd like to try it sometime."

"We could make a performance for you if you want." Serena offered.

Mallow became excited at the idea. "That would be wonderful! Sometimes we have live entertainment in our restaurant, we'll have to book a night for you."

"You won't regret it. It was no coincidence that she won the first Master Class Showcase in Kanto." Misty commented.

"By the way, Ash, would you like to try the new Island Challenge sometime?" Kiawe intervened. "In the past few years we've been trying to improve and make it more interesting."

"More interesting?" Ash arched an eyebrow. "I like the sound of that."

"Maybe that way you can prove that you're deserving of that Z-Ring Tapu Koko gave you." The red-haired young man added.

"Hey, don't tell me you're still mad at me for that."

Serena and Misty stared at Kiawe, puzzled at his remark. What was he talking about? The others, meanwhile, just laughed as they remembered all the matter.

"Of course not," Kiawe replied. "But I'm still thinking it was a little unfair that you got it just as soon as you arrived, when I had to pass all of those trials before being able to use the power of the Z-Crystals. Even more considering you're not an Alolan native.

"Are you serious?" asked Ash. "Let me remind you that, in the end, I _did_ earn my right to use it legitimately, or are you going to deny that?"

"No way," Kiawe replied. "Still, I can't help but wonder if maybe, just maybe, you might not have grown too dependent on it."

The tone of that remark was more than enough to light that spark inside Ash everyone in the room knew very well. Especially Misty and Serena, and the former rolled her eyes, knowing what was coming next. Obviously, he'd want to smooth things in the most logical way a person as mature as him would do: with a Pokémon battle.

"If you're so sure, how about we have a battle, right here and now?" Ash said. "I'll show you that I don't need this. Even better, to make it fair, I won't use this either."

He removed not only the Z-Ring, but also the Mega-Ring from his other wrist. Kiawe watched that with interest: so he wouldn't use Mega-Evolution against him either? This would be fun.

"Alright, then let's go outside." Kiawe concluded. Ash nodded and the two of them immediately left for the courtyard, followed by Sophocles. Meanwhile, Misty, Serena and the other girls stared at them, each of them with a different reaction.

"Men, they always want to solve everything with fighting," said Misty.

"I think we should go, I had enough battles in the cruiser for the time being." Serena proposed. "In the meantime, how about we get to know each other better?"

"It's a wonderful idea." Lillie smiled. "Actually, we were all planning on having dinner at Mallow's family restaurant tonight."

"Since you three came along, I'll have to prepare extra rations." The green-haired girl smiled as well.

"That's great for me," said Misty. "And you, Lana, so you're a Water-types trainer as well?"

"Yes. Would you like to meet my Pokémon?" the bluenette asked.

"I'd love to," Misty answered. "So then, what time should we be going to the restaurant?"

"At dinnertime," said Lillie. "We'll all meet up at the restaurant at seven, until then, you can go with Lana. We'll take Serena, if she agrees."

"Of course." The Kalosian girl nodded.

Without further ado, Serena left with Lillie and Mallow, while Misty tagged along with Lana. Meanwhile, outside, the boys were preparing for their Pokémon battle. It seemed that everyone would have something to keep themselves busy for the rest of the afternoon. Not bad considering they had just arrived to the island.

* * *

 _ **At the courtyard…**_

The students had begun gathering up around the show about to start. They had to clear the whole place to give them enough room, and of course, asking permission from Professor Kukui to have that battle. It was lucky it happened during a break hour, since nobody, absolutely nobody, would want to miss it out.

Ash and Kiawe were on opposite end, with Sophocles in the very center, ready to act as the match's referee. Around the lines of the battlefield, there were lots of kids watching in excitement, waiting impatiently for the match to begin.

"The battle between Kiawe and Ash is about to start. Each one of you can only use one single Pokémon, and the match will end when one or both Pokémon are unable to keep fighting. Let's decide with a coin toss who chooses first." With this, the portly young man pulled out a coin, and tossed it in the air. After catching it, he placed it on the back of his hand and covered it with the other.

"Heads." Kiawe chose before Ash.

"You got it. You want to choose first, or after Ash?" Sophocles asked.

"Let him go first. Let's see what he's made of." The redhead folded his arms.

Ash of course had already thought who he was going to use. After all, since they had reunited very recently, they didn't have many chances to battle in the Coliseum yet. No doubt that he wanted to show what he was capable of. Taking one of his Pokéballs, Ash revealed his choice.

"Tyranitar, I choose you!"

The green dinosaur-like Pokémon materialized, and some who saw it tried to take cover, but strangely enough, it didn't kick up a sandstorm. Didn't it have the Sand Stream ability?

"Interesting. Alright, my turn now. Turtonator, let's go!" Kiawe threw his own Pokéball. The dragon turtle appeared as well, glaring at his opponent.

"Start!" Sophocles, raised both arms.

"Tyranitar, begin with Earthquake!" Ash ordered.

"ROAAAAARR!" Tyranitar raised a leg and stomped with great force, making the earth rumble and sending out a seismic wave.

"Turtonator, Protect!" Kiawe replied.

"Nator!" In response to his adversary's Earthquake, the dragon turtle surrounded himself in a green energy dome. He held it up until the earth stopped shaking, and glared back at his opponent in a daring way.

"Now, Flamethrower!"

Turtonator fired off a flaming torrent against Tyranitar, who just stood there. He wasn't an evasive Pokémon after all; his strength lied more in tanking the damage rather than dodging it. Nevertheless, over the years Ash had learned to adapt to other battling styles, not limiting himself to speedy and evasive Pokémon capable of delivering high-powered attacks, and Tyranitar was no exception. Even though Turtonator's Flamethrower was powerful, he held on firmly, enduring the damage.

"Tyranitar, use Crunch!" Ash yelled once the fire attack ceased.

"Turtonator, Shell Trap!" Kiawe called in response.

Tyranitar began running opening up his jaws and covering his fangs in a dark energy for a powerful bite, while Turtonator turned around and faced his shell to protect himself. Tyranitar sank his teeth at full force in the neck, but even though Turtonator groaned in pain, the spikes in his shell began burning up, creating a fiery blast so powerful that it sent Tyranitar flying backwards.

"Again, Flamethrower!" Kiawe commanded, and once again Turtonator shoot the fire stream.

"Hidden Power!" Ash replied at once.

Tyranitar's Hidden Power was Psychic-type, and he used it to lift Turtonator from the ground to cause him to miss the Flamethrower. Next, he slammed Turtonator making him fall on his shell, and immediately Ash called for another Earthquake, which the dragon turtle had no choice but to endure. Not that it was too much of a problem: Kiawe had trained him to endure attacks as strong as or even stronger than that, and once it ceased, he was back on his feet, ready to continue.

"Turtonator, use Draco Meteor!"

"NATOR!"

Turtonator aimed his jaws upwards and fired off an orange giant meteor on top of Tyranitar. It exploded and began raining in dozens of smaller shards pouring furiously on the dinosaur, who couldn't do anything but to try and cover himself while the meteor rain fell on him mercilessly. Ash had to admit it was impressive, that was a pretty powerful attack. But as he knew perfectly, that power came at a prize: the next use would significantly lower its effectiveness.

Tyranitar managed to endure the attack until the end, although it did make a number on him. He could still fight, but he had to be careful: Turtonator still had his Shell Trap move and if he recklessly approached, the counterattack would be brutal. Ash still was keeping an ace up his sleeve: last month he had taught Tyranitar how to use Hyper Beam, and one of those at point-blank range should be enough to seal the encounter (and a good substitute for Z-Moves, since he didn't have any chances to practice any of those with him).

"I'm impressed, Ash." Kiawe smirked. "Normally after one of Turtonator's Draco Meteors the opponent doesn't get back up."

"We've trained hard in endurance," Ash replied with a smirk of his own.

While he was more inclined to fight with fast and agile Pokémon, he had learned to take advantage of Pokémon who lacked such advantage in favor of a great defense and resistance, to make up for that. Aside from Tyranitar, Ash had others who suffered a lot due to not adapting to that (like his Torterra), and had decided to retrain them to use their maximum potential. If they couldn't avoid getting damaged, the training was centered in enduring it.

"Tyranitar, Hidden Power!"

"Turtonator, Protect!"

Turtonator managed to raise his barrier, saving himself from Tyranitar's Hidden Power in the last second. Immediately, Ash commanded him to charge with another Crunch attack. Kiawe's natural reaction was to respond with another Shell Trap, but Ash wouldn't fall for the same trick twice, and he knew exactly what to do. Another of the tricks he had learned from using a Pokémon who was strong but slow to move, was breaking off an attack and switch it for another right in the middle to catch the opponent off guard. He usually did this with physical contact attacks.

"Earthquake!" Ash called.

Tyranitar broke off his Crunch attack, and stopping at a fair distance from Turtonator, he stomped on the ground again, causing another tremor. In doing so he triggered Turtonator's Shell Trap, but it didn't do any good since Tyranitar was completely out of the blast radius.

"No!" Kiawe gasped.

"Now go, Crunch!" Ash replied.

Tyranitar roared, and once the fire from Turtonator's explosion ceased, he charged again to bite his neck, his fangs once again engulfed in Dark-type energy. Turtonator groaned in pain, while Tyranitar violently tilted his neck and threw him at the other side of the field. The dragon turtle got back on his feet, glaring at the dinosaur. They had only one more attack to decide the match.

"Turtonator, Draco Meteor!" Kiawe called.

"Tyranitar, Hyper Beam!"

That was all they had left: using their strongest attacks. Kiawe knew that using the Draco Meteor for the second time, the power would be much lower (and the fact Tyranitar had taken the full brunt didn't help), but it was still the strongest card he had. Meanwhile, Tyranitar began charging a yellow-orange energy in his jaws. Kiawe clenched his fists; could that be enough to defeat him? If only they could use the Inferno Overdrive. Unfortunately, Tyranitar beat Turtonator on charging up his attack, and fired the Hyper Beam at full, hitting Turtonator before he could even launch his own attack. Turtonator fell on his back, the Draco Meteor energy being completely wasted, and unable to get back up. Everyone remained silent, surprised at what had just happened. Even Sophocles forgot his duty of referee for a moment, the excitement for the battle getting the best of him.

"Turtonator is unable to battle!" He declared raising his left arm. "Victory is for Ash and Tyranitar!"

"Incredible! How could he beat Mr. Kiawe?" One of the kids exclaimed.

"That Pokémon is super cool! And it didn't even need to pull off a Z-Move!" Another added.

In the middle of the cheering, and one or two who wept over the defeat of their teacher, the kids fathered around the two combatants, congratulating both of them for their effort, and Ash for his victory. Kiawe accepted his defeat with dignity and recalled his fallen Pokémon.

"You did a good job, Turtonator," he said as he walked towards Ash, who along with Pikachu still congratulated Tyranitar. "That was a great battle. I take back what I said before. Maybe I'm the one who relies too much on the Z-Move."

"Hey, you both did well, don't worry about that." Ash assured him. "Since I don't have any Crystal for Tyranitar to use Z-Moves, we tried to compensate somehow."

"I can see that, yes." Kiawe nodded. "In any case, congratulations. I see now that being a Frontier Brain is not just for show."

The two gave each other a friendly handshake, while the school kids ran around Tyranitar to see him closer. It was understandable; any aspiring trainer would become excited seeing such an amazing battle like that from up close.

"Alright, everyone, the break's over and there's nothing else to see around here!" Sophocles suddenly spoke in an unusual stern teacher tone, which definitely didn't quite fit with him. "Everyone back to class, there's still one more hour before going home!"

The kids began dispersing, some of them muttering in annoyance that they were still wanting for more. But the teacher had spoken, they had to go. Meanwhile, the three friends would have to spend their time and get ready to get going for the meeting at Mallow's restaurant, since the path over there would be long. Looking on the bright side, the excitement of the battle definitely served to open their appetite, so they would eat plenty of food once they met up with the girls.

* * *

 _ **At Lana's house…**_

After leaving the school, Lana took Misty to her place, although not without making a stop for one of the favorite activities of both Water-type trainers: fishing. Lana explained that she often went to catch Pokémon this way to take to her classes and make demonstrations, and with Misty's help, she could do it twice as fast. The best part was doing so by riding on Lana's Lapras, since the Alolan resident knew exactly where to find the best fishing spots, both close and away from the shore. Of course, Misty didn't buy her story about once managing to hook a Kyogre that unfortunately got away. She was a funny girl, though, and she liked that.

The best part, though, came when Lana brought out her own Pokémon to help them in luring more of the local fish. The Pokémon in question was a mermaid-marine lion hybrid, with a white upper body and a blue mermaid tail. It had a very beautiful, long light blue hair, with pearls adorning it as well as the neck. Misty has instantly charmed upon seeing her: it was so precious and elegant. Lana told her it was called a Primarina, a dual Water-Fairy Pokémon. Aside from her Azumarill, Misty hadn't many of those type combination at her gym, and she couldn't help but wish one of those for herself. Another more, along with Greninja, she had added to her mental list of "Pokémon to eventually catch".

Having finished, they headed for Lana's house. She needed to prepare her class for the next day, though it wouldn't take long. Afterwards, they'll head for Mallow's family restaurant for the reunion.

"Your family doesn't mind that you bring strangers to visit?" Misty asked as Lana opened her door.

"Don't worry about that." Lana assured her. "They're not here now, anyway."

"They're not here? That's not very reassuring." The redhead looked away.

"My parents are on vacation abroad, and my younger sisters are now undergoing trials in other islands. They'll take a while to return anyway." the bluenette remarked. "Plus, they know of Ash, and anyone who is a friend of his is a friend of ours."

"I appreciate that, thanks." Misty smiled.

They entered the house, and Lana told Misty to make herself at home while she went to put away the Pokémon they caught as well as archiving the notes for the class she'd have the next day. Misty dropped herself on the couch, as she glanced to her surroundings. The place was quite quaint but homely. The walls were full of photos, of Lana herself and her friends (some of them including Ash too). The one who caught most of her attention was one showing her with a pair of twin girls, very curious. Not just that, the twins looked a lot like her mini-clones. The only ways to tell them apart were the number of tips on the bangs falling down their temples (the right one having two, and the left one only one) and the picture on the shirt of each one (one having a Shellder, the other a Slowbro). Outside of that, she couldn't help but think they looked quite adorable.

"Thanks for waiting." Lana brought a couple of cold drinks and gave Misty one of them.

"Thank you." The redhead took a big sip. "Ah, that was refreshing. By the way, in that photo over there… are those girls your sisters?"

"Yeah, they are." Lana nodded. "Harper and Sarah."

"They're really cute. Just like you, the resemblance is amazing." Misty commented.

"You wouldn't believe how much of a hassle they could be at times," said Lana. "They could never stay still, especially with Pokémon they found cute. I still remember the first time we brought Ash and Pikachu to visit."

"What happened?" Misty asked with interest.

"They began pulling on his face and pinching him everywhere. Obviously he got angry, and ended up zapping all of us." Lana recalled. "Though that wasn't the worst part."

"Really? Then what was it?" asked Misty. Lana blushed slightly before answering.

"Well… they assumed Ash was my boyfriend. That was really embarrassing." The bluenette admitted.

Misty gave her an inquisitive glare. "Hmm… Lana, do you like Ash perchance?"

"What? No, of course not! I mean, I do like him as a friend, but if you mean that I like _'like'_ him in that way… I assure you that's not the case."

Misty kept staring at her for a bit, as if she wanted to know if she was sincere. She didn't quite buy her story, and still kept her glare. Lana couldn't help but feel a little intimidated, and even though Misty didn't go violent or something, Lana couldn't quite shake off the feeling that she could explode at a moment's notice.

"Lana… tell me the truth. Do you like Ash, if only a little?" the redhead asked.

The bluenette swallowed before answering. "Why do you ask? Do _you_ like him? Wait, so…"

"Yeah, I do." Misty nodded. "And it's not just me, Serena likes him too. In fact… part of the reason for this little vacation was so we can 'compete' for him fairly. We did agree on some things, though: the first, any potential competition, outside from us two, has to go. You get my drift?"

"Oh… yeah, I see." Lana couldn't help but chuckle a little. "Alright, in that case, I assure you, you don't have to worry about me, or any of the others, for that matter. I assure you, none of us sees Ash as anything more than just a friend."

"I'm glad." Misty smiled. "In any case, if you don't mind me asking, what do you think of him?"

"I won't deny it, he's grown very handsome over the years, and he always was really nice to all of us around here," said Lana. "But like I told you, he's just a good friend, and… he's not even my type."

"Oh, then which kind are your type?" Misty asked with interest.

"You really don't think that I'll tell you, do you?" Lana was still a little embarrassed. "Plus, having two younger sisters who want me to get a boyfriend, that'll just give them more ammo to tease me."

Misty giggled at that. "You know, I'm the youngest in my family, but my sisters used to tease me a lot about it too. They always said I had a thing for boys younger than me. Granted, they weren't too far off, but it's not like Ash is _that_ much younger than me."

"So you have sisters too? And they're older?" Lana asked. "I wouldn't mind switching places. Having to babysit Harper and Sarah could sometimes be an annoyance, especially when my parents went out."

"Trust me, you wouldn't like it." Misty assured her. "Not with the ones I have, at least, especially considering that the one who keeps the gym running is me."

They both laughed. They couldn't believe they were comparing each other with their family situations. They did share something in common, though: each one had her days when she wanted to be an only child.

"Anyway, changing the topic, since you helped me catch Pokémon for the class tomorrow, how about that I give you one as thanks?" Lana offered. "You can pick any you want, and you said you wanted to take one as a souvenir from Alola."

"Yeah, I did say that." Misty smiled. "That's really kind of you, but… I think the Pokémon I liked the most was your Primarina. Obviously I cannot take her, being your lifelong partner and all, right?"

Lana became thoughtful upon hearing this. After a while, she smiled in a way that somehow intrigued Misty.

"Hold on, I think we can solve that. Wait for a bit."

Not saying a single word, Lana ran off to the back of her house, while Misty just waited for her. What was she up to? A few minutes later, the bluenette came back with a Pokémon Egg Case. The egg inside the capsule was completely dark blue, with a wavy light blue and an oval white spot. Misty stared at it in confusion; why did she bring it all of a sudden?

"My Primarina laid this egg a few months ago." Lana explained. "I was planning on giving it to my sisters, but they said they didn't want it. If you want it, it's yours."

"Are you serious?" Misty beamed.

"The temporizer says that it should be just a few days away from hatching, one week tops," said Lana. "Much better that way, you can make it see you first."

Misty couldn't utter a single word. Lana's Primarina really enamored her, and now Lana was giving her an egg. Something else to give Ash credit for: he really knew how to choose his friends, wherever he went. Smiling, the redhead took the case very carefully.

"Thank you so much." She smiled. "I promise, I'll take good care of it."

"I know you will." Lana smiled as well. "Hey, since we still have time before we meet up with the others, do you want to go for another ride on my Lapras? There's a reef where we can go for a dive, I'm sure you'll love it."

"Do you have to ask? What are we waiting for, let's go!"

Misty could barely contain her excitement of the moment, while she placed the egg case inside her bag. She almost felt like a girl with a new toy. Maybe she was too far away from Kalos to get her own Greninja, but at least she could take a good souvenir from Alola. She could barely wait for the egg to finally hatch.

* * *

 _ **Mallow's family restaurant…**_

The remaining trio of girls had gone directly to the place. Mallow's family, like Lana's, had gone on a little vacation too, so she had seen herself in the need of running the place on her own. Between that and her duties in the Pokémon School, she has a little short of hands, so Serena and Lillie offered to help with the clients.

While they were taking a break, Mallow decided to sit and talk to Serena for a bit, and ask the Kalosian girl a few things about herself. She had heard quite a bit from the Pokémon Showcases from Kalos, and she felt quite excited of talking to someone who had already taken part in them and won.

"Pokémon Showcases sound really amazing," The green-haired girl said.

"They are." Serena nodded. "Although I have to say, Pokémon Contests are really exciting too. And they helped me understand a bit more the excitement of battles, like Ash does."

"How was your experience with them?" Mallow asked.

"Well… it was almost like when I first started in Pokémon Showcasing." Serena confessed. "At first, I was really panicked, in front of so many people and a million light-years from my comfort zone, and sometimes I just didn't know what to do. But then, I reminded myself why I was doing it. I promised myself that I'd be stronger for Ash, knowing that no matter what, he'd never give up until the very end. He always faced every challenge with courage and determination, so I had to do the same. Otherwise, I'd never be able to stand before him again."

Mallow looked at her with her hand on her chin. "Hmm… tell me, do you like Ash?"

Serena looked away, blushing slightly. That was something anyone could see. Of course, for Serena it was much more than just 'liking' him: her feelings for Ash were beyond a simple attraction. She considered him the most important person, her role model in life.

"I don't blame you, these years had been quite nice to him." Mallow winked at her. "If only he wasn't taken already…"

"What do you mean?" Serena didn't quite get what she meant by that.

"Oh, don't play innocent on me," Mallow said in a mischievous tone. "You and Misty vying for him, aren't you? I know of those things."

"Well… yes, we are." Serena admitted.

"Tee-he, who would have guessed that he would have grown so popular? Well, since we're at it, would you like me to give you a hand?" Mallow offered. "Can you cook?"

"A little bit. I mostly bake sweets, though."

"In that case, how about that I teach you some of the best Alolan dishes so you can impress him? You know what they say, the path to a man's heart is through his stomach, and we know how big of a glutton Ash is."

Serena couldn't help but giggle at that. Obviously anybody who knew Ash knew of insatiable appetite, and his Alolan friends were no exception.

"As long as you don't make that electric stew again." Lillie intervened. Serena stared at her in confusion, while Mallow slightly pouted. "Hey, that once I said nothing because we're friends, but seriously, only Sophocles would enjoy getting electrified while he eats."

"You're missing it out." Mallow shrugged. "Hey, Serena, would you try it? I'm sure you'll love it."

"Uhm… I think I'll pass, but thanks anyway," Serena replied.

Suddenly, Mallow lost a bit of her usual enthusiasm, as if she remembered something. "By the way, Lillie… how's your mom?"

Lillie adopted a similarly somber expression, but she smiled warmly shortly after. "She's recovering at a good pace. The doctors said she should be able to return in a couple months."

"I'm glad to hear that." Mallow smiled too.

"Excuse me, what are you talking about?" Serena asked. "Something wrong with your mom?"

"An incident of several years ago." Mallow explained. "Lillie's mom was affected by… the Ultra Beasts."

"Ultra… Beasts?" Serena her head in confusion.

Mallow and Lillie exchanged glances, as if asking one another if they should tell Serena. Only a few within their inner circle (Ash included) knew the whole truth about this incident, and they preferred to keep it that way. Nonetheless, if Serena was Ash's friend, they could definitely trust her with that secret.

Mallow began to relate the story. "The Ultra Beasts were Pokémon that came from another dimension. One of them, known as Nihilego, somehow infected Lillie's mom."

"Infected?" Serena clutched on her chest. Lillie decided to take over for Mallow and continue.

"I don't know exactly what happened. When I was little, my mom sometimes could be strict and stern, but in general, she was always kind and sweet with me. But one day… she suddenly changed. She turned cold, obsessed with having everything and everyone under her control, myself included. I think it all began when… when my dad vanished in the Ultra Space"

"What's the Ultra Space?" Serena asked.

"That's what they called the dimension where the Ultra Beasts came from." Mallow explained. "We believe that Lillie's mom had the Aether Foundation research them to try and find him after he disappeared."

"Or at least, that was at first." Lillie continued. "When my mom first made contact with that Pokémon, Nihilego, everything just went downhill. She became fixated on finding and controlling the Ultra Beasts, and I think she didn't even know why. Somehow… I think Nihilego took over the wishes of my mom, and twisted them, making her forget why she was doing that in the first place."

"Oh, by Arceus…"

"If it wasn't for the Island Guardians, and for Ash… we might have not saved her," said Lillie. "Still, whatever Nihilego did to her, it caused unimaginable physical and emotional damage. She took years to recover; in fact, while she's already physically well, she's still very withdrawn and almost doesn't interact with people. Worse still, she doesn't even smile…"

Serena clutched on her chest again. She couldn't help but feel sorry for Lillie. She loved her own mother dearly, and she couldn't fathom what Lillie had been through after almost losing hers in such a horrible manner. Something inside the Kalosian girl made her feel the urge to help her new friend.

"Lillie… is there something I could do for your mom?" Serena adopted a determined expression. "Maybe… do you think she'd like one of my performances?"

"One of your performances?" Lillie and Mallow stared Serena.

"When I finished my journey with Ash, even though I had already decided what was my dream, I realized something else." Serena's voice was quite firm. "The actual reason I wanted to become the best Pokémon Performer in Kalos, was to make people smile."

"Really?" Lillie smiled. "You'd do that… for my mom?"

"Hey, if you're Ash's friend, then you're my friend too." Serena smiled back with conviction. "Isn't that something he would do too?"

"Thank you… thank you so much." Lillie hugged Serena with huge gratitude.

"We better get a high definition camera," said Mallow. "We'll need it to record your performance and send the video to Ms. Lusamine."

"Don't worry about that." Serena pulled out her own camera. "I'm always carrying it on me, if I do something for my PokéVision channel."

"Well then. Do you need a stage or something?" asked Mallow.

Serena looked around. "Outside is fine, we need enough space. If that's OK for you."

"Alright. Lillie, give me a hand over here!"

"Sure." The blonde nodded.

While the two Alolan girls took some chairs outside for the eventual public, Serena let out her Pokémon. Soon enough, the quintet formed by Delphox, Pancham, Sylveon, Roselia and Froslass gathered around their trainer, ready to listen to what she had to say.

"Alright, guys… we've got a lot of work to do here."

Meanwhile, outside there was a small yellow bird with a couple of pom-poms on the wings, peeking through the window in curiosity, and becoming interested in Serena. It was a Pom-Pom Style Oricorio, which for some reason felt drawn to that girl, and he didn't imagine what it was about to see.

* * *

 _ **At nighttime…**_

Once the whole group had gathered around the restaurant, the dinner started at once. Again, Ash and Misty started competing on who of the two would eat more, and when the time for the malasadas came, they began tugging on the last one to see who got to eat it. Kiawe, who couldn't stand it anymore, grabbed a knife and sliced it in half, causing both of them to go falling backwards. And Mallow couldn't resist and prepared her electric stew, which (surprisingly) came out much better this time, although both Misty and Serena, while they enjoyed the taste, they complained about feeling those sparks inside their mouths. The Gym Leader actually had her jaw go numb for a moment, and couldn't talk. Lillie, meanwhile, decided not to taste it, arguing that 'she was full'.

"Alright, now we've all eaten, it's time for a special surprise!" Mallow announced. "Ladies and gentlemen, if you were so kind to go to the restaurant's backyard, we've got a special show for you."

Lana, Kiawe and Sophocles exchanged glances, wondering what it could be. Speaking of, where was Serena? The Kalosian girl had vanished for the past ten minutes or so, after talking to Mallow and Lillie. Ash and Misty, on the other hand, had already and idea of what she was up to. Everyone came out, and a couple minutes later, Serena appeared, ready for the show.

The Performer-Coordinator had already dressed up nicely for the occasion: she was wearing an outfit very similar to a baton twirler uniform (the baton itself included), wearing a white blouse leaving her midriff exposed, a red skirt with yellow folding, knee-high white boots and matching arm-length gloves, and a flower crown adorning her hair. Ash raised an eyebrow, taking his time to admire her.

"She looks very nice in that outfit," he said. And right then, he felt Misty's accusing glare without the need of turning around. The chill it caused was more than enough.

"Would you say the same to me if I wore a similar one?" the redhead asked.

"Hmm… I don't know. Why don't you get one and we find out?" He suggested. Misty apparently decided to take him up on his suggestion, since she immediately smiled.

"Alright, I'll get one of those when we go shopping."

"Shopping… and I'll get to carry everything, will I?" Ash commented. Misty just giggled without giving him a response, turning his attention back to Serena.

"Pika…" The electric rodent sighed.

Aside from Serena, Delphox, Pancham and Sylveon, 'the Original Three', had already dressed up for the performance, wearing marching band hats over their heads. Roselia and Froslass were not going to take part in this; they just helped in placing the sound equipment and the speakers for the music, and then went to take a seat with the rest of the public.

"Video running!" Lillie said, already with Serena's camera in hand. She really hoped this would help in cheering up her mom.

"This is a special performance, coming to you from the Alola region, for all of my friends, old and new. I'd like to specially dedicate it to Ms. Lusamine. I wish you a swift recovery, and allow me to say that you have a wonderful daughter. Let the music roll!"

 _ **CLICK!**_ Mallow, who had the equipment remote control, pressed the play button. The music was an instrumental version of a song named "Dream Dream", the most recurring theme Serena used for her performances. In fact, Misty recalled she used it for both the Cerulean and Master Class performances.

"Here we go!"

The performance started with Serena and Delphox the middle, dancing in perfect sync as they spun around their batons and threw them up in the air a couple times. They then took distance amongst each other to throw the batons to one another, while Pancham and Sylveon took the center. The latter launched a Moon Force attack to the former, who got on the floor and began spinning on his back while making a Dark Pulse around himself.

"Hey, that's my Counter-Shield!" Ash said with a smile.

"They've been practicing." Misty commented.

It wasn't only good for battling and Contests; Pancham's Counter-Shield quickly trapped the Moon Force and redirected it up into the air. Next, when she regained her stick, Delphox aimed at the combined attack and launched a Mystical Fire, making it explode in a rain of luminous and dark particles. The public stared in awe at this; in fact, many people who were just walking by heard the music and upon seeing those "fireworks" decided to approach and see what was going on. They weren't the only ones: from the restaurant's rooftop, a little yellow bird enjoyed the show as well.

In the interlude, Pancham used Stone Edge to make appear a huge stone pillar below his trainer, being extremely careful not to hurt her, while Serena threw her baton up into the air and continued her dance. Sylveon jumped high to catch the baton with her ribbons and give it back to Serena, who then jumped off the pillar and while still in the air, Delphox used Psychic to slow down her fall and help her make some spins and twirls until she touched the ground again.

"Wonderful." Lillie commented as she continued recording. She had no doubts; her mom was going to _love_ this.

Ash and the others were quite impressed. Serena, meanwhile, was too focused on her performance to notice that the crowd watching had begun to increase. And the small yellow bird on the rooftop had also begun dancing to the music, unable to hold back the excitement.

"And now, for the grand finale!" Serena announced, as she stepped aside to make way for Sylveon and Delphox.

Both of them stood facing each other, launching Moon Force and Mystical Fire at the same time. This combination was dangerous: the attacks had to be perfectly equal in power so as to not to cause an explosion. It took them a long time to perfect it during the Sinnoh Pokémon Contests, but it was well worth it. The fire and the lunar energy combined together into an energy, plasma-like sphere, leaving everyone with their mouths agape.

Next, Pancham appeared delivering a Power-Up Punch to hit the sphere upwards. Sylveon and Delphox jumped to send it back with a combined Flamethrower and Dazzling Gleam, powering it up even more. Pancham continued to respond with Power-Up Punch, as if they were playing some kind of vertical ping-pong. The song was about to reach its end, and Serena knew they had to end this fast since the small panda required a lot of effort to pull off those moves.

Delphox and Sylveon landed, each one on one side of Pancham, and together they launched their attacks one last time to power up the sphere. The final touch: Pancham jumped to send it flying with one last Power-Up Punch, at full power. The sphere flew up into the sky, exploding into a burst of infinite colors, an amazing fireworks show.

"Wow… that looked like a supernova." Misty commented.

Ash glanced at her, and nodded in agreement. 'Supernova' seemed like a proper way to describe it. All spectators became completely spellbound, while Serena and her Pokémon gathered up in the center, making the final pose.

"Finish!" She announced with a bright smile. It was then that the applause and cheering from all the people started, and Serena noticed she had more public watching than at first.

"Bravo! That was spectacular!"

"We want more! More!" a girl cried out.

"Where did you learn to do that?" A little girl who escaped her mother approached her. "Can you teach me?"

"Your Pokémon are so cure!" said another. "Can I touch them?"

Serena could only giggle nervously. She didn't imagine she would drag more public with her show. Well, if they wanted more… Delphox, Pancham and Sylveon were already exhausted, but luckily for her, Froslass and Roselia were still available.

"Alright, alright!" she said. "I can make another performance if you want, but give me some minutes to prepare, alright? Froslass, Roselia, please help me here!"

Lucky for her to have expanded her team to five members. For Pokémon Showcasing the maximum was three, but it never hurt to have some reserve backup for futures, or in this case, for an extra performance if the public wanted a little more. Mallow moved in to give her a hand as well; in fact, her own Tsareena seemingly wanted to get into the show too. Serena would have accepted gladly, but he wasn't used to perform with Pokémon that weren't hers and she preferred to rehearse first to feel more confident.

"Looks like Serena just became the new local celebrity here," Misty commented.

"I'm not surprised, she's got talent." Ash nodded.

While they prepped for the second show, the small Oricorio on the rooftop was still looking in expectation. He loved that talent showcase, and felt an urge to try something like that, but he didn't dare to get close, being too shy with people. But maybe, just maybe, that girl would let him join in the fin. Would he dare to approach?

* * *

 _ **Meanwhile, in an apartment at the other side of the city…**_

For many, the Alola region was a tropical paradise and the best place to go on vacation around the world. For her… it felt more like a prison.

How long had it been here since she got here? Seven, eight, nine years? She had already lost count. It was a real miracle having survived that horrid experience. How she didn't end up crushed by the water pressure, or ripped apart by the vortex that swallowed her when her ship imploded was a mystery, but she wasn't interested in knowing the how or why she survived. What mattered was that she had survived, and because of that brat and his friends, she was now in the ruin.

When she woke up, somehow she was in a fishing boat. The vortex in the lake somehow dragged her into open sea, and she was found floating in a state between life and death. She was in shock, but fortunately, it wasn't too hard to feign amnesia to convince those fools to help her. She had to: she was too weak and had lost all of her weapons along with her ship. She had to get them to feel mercy for her, those poor naïve fools were her only chance of survival.

The only advantage of having arrived in Alola was the fact that nobody knew who she was, thus it wasn't too hard to assume a new identity. The hardest part was having to play the 'nice and honest citizen' part with everyone, at least until she recovered economically speaking. After she was declared legally dead, all of her assets and funds were frozen. She couldn't go back to the old business, not yet at least.

After a long and tiresome (mostly in the emotional department) day, she dropped herself on her bed, checking out her smartphone. It hadn't been easy, but thanks to a mixture of enduring those 'goody-two-shoes' jobs, some favors in the underworld and one or two lucky strikes in gambling, she had slowly recovered. In a few months, maybe one year tops, she'd have enough to leave this hole and go back to her original operations. Her only true enjoyment: finding rare and valuable Pokémon to sell for the highest bidder. Years ago, she wasn't called Pokémon Hunter J for nothing, and she preferred to call herself as such, at least while in private.

"Who would have guessed I'd run into you after so many years?" She checked her phone's memory card.

Opening the image viewer, she looked up a photo showing a young man, with black hair and slightly tanned skin, with two girls around his age, each clinging to one of his arms and smiling widely, while he had a nervous expression. She only saw him in passing at the docks today went she went for a walk. She couldn't care less who those girls were or what their relationship to him was. What really mattered was that there was no mistaking him: he was the same brat Ash Ketchum who ruined her plans in Sinnoh.

"The brat has certainly grown up?" Once again she spoke aloud, not to anyone in particular.

J was quite surprised: what were the odds of running into him? Doing some digging around the internet, she learned that the boy had gotten himself quite a name in the Kanto region, winning the Indigo Conference and assuming a position as a Frontier Brain, establishing in Pallet Town something called the Battle Coliseum. There were even rumors that he wanted to aim for the Regional Champion title. He hadn't wasted his time, he certainly had grown stronger. Even so… this looked like a golden opportunity to get her revenge.

What should she do? Facing him directly didn't seem like the wisest choice. Her Pokémon (of the few things she could rescue from that incident) had gotten rusted due to the lack of exercise for so many years, although in the past few months she had managed to get them back into shape somewhat, they were still a far cry from their prime. On the other hand… these two girls coming with him, maybe there was a way to get to him through them?

J smirked evilly. For now, all she could do was keeping an eye on him. She didn't dare follow him at the time to avoid looking suspicious, but she had other ways to find him. Grabbing her laptop, she opened an application and using her personal password, she got into the security feed of all the city. Even with a simple personal computer, hacking that system was easy if you knew where to look for the backdoor. Too many cameras to look at once, but with a facial recognition program, using the photo from her phone as a base, the search wouldn't take more than a few hours, maybe just a couple days at most, to determine his movements and where he could be.

"Ash Ketchum… you will pay dearly for what you did to me."

 _ **To be continued…**_

* * *

 **Author's notes:**

*PHEW*, once again, I apologize for taking so long with the update for this story. In my defense, things have gotten pretty hard around here, too much to do and never enough time (although translations take me less time and effort than writing from scratch). At least I finally finished.

With this chapter I wanted to cover some specific points. First, now that they've arrived in Alola, Serena and Misty get to know the friends Ash made here and they begin interacting with them. Second, I want each and all of Ash's Pokémon to get at least some screen time, in this case I took the chance with Tyranitar, putting him to battle against Kiawe's Turtonator. Also some spotlight for Serena, putting her in her strong point of Pokémon Showcasing. Don't worry, I'll have her in a couple battles later on her own to show off her contest battling style and how much it has evolved. I'd like to thank **ZeekLaerers** since, just like in the prologue, he helped me give a grand finale for the show, I really needed it. Also, I'm establishing now the Pokémon Serena and Misty will take from their journey in this region. The choices weren't too hard: with Misty, she's one of the few of Ash's female companions who didn't get to catch a starter (the closest being when she fought Ash for who got to keep Totodile), and Serena, Oricorio seems like a perfect Pokémon for her performance, and I chose the Pom-Pom form to give her elemental coverage (she doesn't have an Electric-type). Lastly, I promised there would be no drama between the girls, but no story is interesting without a conflict, so well, who better than Pokémon Hunter J, one of the few villains who actually tried to KILL Ash to provide a source of threat? Hey, if Team Rocket survives getting blasted into the sky, explosions and falling down ravines, who says J couldn't have done the same? For now she'll only wait, but will eventually make her move, in due time.

Alright, that's all for now. Thanks for the reviews to **Omnistar, Kori A Grayson, Jriya** and to a couple of **Guest(s)** whom I'd recommend that the next time try and identify themselves so I can properly thank you individually. I'll try and get the next part in a month tops, although I'll first write it in Spanish and have also to attend other compromises (in and out of here). See ya around.


	4. Dates encounters and a Pokémon triathlon

**Crossroads – Between a Mermaid and a Princess.**

 **By Fox McCloude.**

 **Disclaimer:** Pokémon and all related characters belong to Satoshi Tajiri and Nintendo. All rights reserved.

 **Part 4:** Dates, encounters and a Pokémon Triathlon.

* * *

 _ **Melemele Beach…**_

The vacation was turning out much more fun than Misty and Serena imagined. Even more with Ash's Alolan friends: they turned out to be really nice, and they had so many things to talk about and do together, plus they were ready to show them the places for sightseeing and have a good time. That way they had a lot more of ground covered, and they had already gotten to know every single major spot for hanging out.

That very morning they had gone to a jewelry shop called Alola Sunrise, on recommendation of Mallow and the others. Ash almost fell backwards when they mentioned this, recalling how his three Alolan female friends dragged him almost by force to that place the first time he came to the region. He had nothing to do in that place, since trying out jewelry wasn't his stuff, but he decided to bear with it for Misty and Serena's sake. The two girls were delighted to look around and try anything they could. In fact, right now, they were wearing some of the items they got in that place: Misty had bought a pair of marine shell earrings, while Serena wore a pair of star-shaped ones, complemented with a matching locket and a hairpin. Even though this wasn't his stuff, Ash had to admit they looked nice on them.

The group was in the middle of an exciting beach volleyball match. They were playing Misty and Mallow versus Ash and Kiawe, while the rest watched in awe. They were having so much fun they actually switched sides every time someone made an amazing play.

"Misty!" Mallow set up one for Misty. The redhead advanced forward to the net and jumped.

"Take THIS!" And with a powerful spike the ball went straight for Ash's face, who barely had time to put his hands forward to shield himself, but the ball hit him so hard he fell backwards on the sand, and it flew out of the bounds. Kiawe tried to rush and catch it but didn't make it, and thus the match was sentenced. Mallow and Misty high-fived each other.

"Game, set and match for us!" the green-haired girl cheered.

"Oof… that wasn't fair," said Ash as he got back on his feet and rubbed the back of his head. "You did it on purpose."

"It's not my fault your face got in the way." Misty shrugged as she curled up a hair bang around her finger.

Ash rolled his eyes, but didn't dare to talk back. Misty was still as strong as ever and she wasted no chance to show it off. This match was no exception: every time Misty made one of her deathly spikes it was a sure point. The fact that Kiawe and Ash actually won a game and they had to go best out of three to decide was a real miracle, and during the final one Misty decided to get serious and crush them without mercy.

"Why didn't you tell me she was THAT strong, Ash?" asked Kiawe. "I'm surprised we could put up until the very end."

"That's Misty for us." Ash sighed in resignation as he approached the net. "Anyway, you've won, are you happy now?"

"You know I am." Misty smiled. "So, who else wants to have a go at us?"

She looked at the foursome of Serena, Lana, Lillie and Sophocles, who were sitting outside of their court. They exchanged nervous glances, as if they were thinking their answer, though it was clear none of them wanted to face one of Misty's deadly spikes.

"Hey, don't look at me like that. I'll go easy on you, I promise," she said.

Ash glanced at her sideways. Did that mean she was only that violent playing volleyball with him? Before he could protest, though, a beeping sound rang from inside Misty's bag. The redhead immediately knew what it was, and she extracted the capsule with the egg Lana had given her a few days ago.

"It's going to hatch!" she happily exclaimed.

The others immediately stepped back, so that when the Pokémon hatched it could see Misty before anyone else. Everyone looked in expectation as the redhead extracted the egg and held it in her hands. It was getting warmer and warmer, until it finally broke and took shape. Flippers came out on the sides, the tail underneath, and a small, rounded head with a round-tipped nose above. A few seconds later, they could get a full view.

It was a small seal-like Pokémon with marine-blue skin. It had large eyes, a long, white snout with black whiskers, and round, pink nose. Around its neck it had a light blue ruff. Serena quickly pulled out her Pokédex to scan it.

" **POPPLIO, THE MARINE LION POKÉMON. POPPLIO CAN CREATE WATER BALLOONS WITH ITS NOSE AND USE THEM AS PART OF ITS DIFFERENT STRATEGIES AND ATTACK IN COMBAT. THIS POKÉMON MOVES WITH BETTER IN WATER THAN ON LAND, AND CAN SWIM AT SPEEDS OF 25 MPH."**

"How cute!" Misty squealed. The small marine lion looked at its new trainer, and happily clapped with its flippers.

"Yeah, it's adorable." Serena approached to see it up closer.

"It's female, just like mine," said Lana, after looking at it for a bit.

"How do you know?" asked Misty. Lana just gave her an I-Just-Know glance in return.

"We have to capture this moment!" said Mallow. "Quick, the camera, we have to snap a photo!"

"Here it is." Serena was ready to snap it, but Mallow stopped her.

"Come on, let's make this an all-girls photo!" Mallow took the camera to give it to Ash. "Lillie, Lana, you too!"

Serena felt a little unsure, but Mallow dragged her into it and before she realized, they were all lined up. Misty in the center with her newly hatched Popplio in her arms, Lana hugging her, and Serena standing next to her, placing her hands on her chest and smiling a little nervously. At Misty's other side, Mallow and Lillie posed greeting the camera. Ash took a little distance to get focus on everyone.

"Alright, everyone smile!" he said, clicking the button. The photo was ready.

"Thanks, Ash." Misty smiled as she looked at her new little baby. She missed having a newborn Pokémon to take care of, as they always awakened her maternal instincts.

"Alright, now the game's over, are we going to keep up with that training you wanted?" Kiawe asked.

"What training?" Misty added.

"Greninja and I are still trying to perfect the Ice Shuriken," Ash explained. "But we still can't make it, it always breaks apart when he tries to freeze it. Kiawe offered to help us train and see if we could make any progress."

"Ah, so that's what you've been up to these past few days in your time off." Misty arched an eyebrow. That was the Ash she knew, always training to become stronger. "But surely you haven't forgotten that we would go diving today. You promised me, right?"

Ash scratched the back of his head. Of course he hadn't forgotten about that, what he did forget was telling Kiawe he had made those plans and they couldn't train today. Still, between incurring intro the wrath of the Cerulean Gym Leader, or that of his Alolan sparring partner, the choice that posed the lower risk to his physical integrity was obvious.

"Sorry, Kiawe, but not today," Ash said. "A promise is a promise."

"As you wish." Kiawe just shrugged. "But to make up for it, tomorrow you owe me double training time, alright?"

"Deal," Ash replied. "So what, shall we go now?"

"Yeah, let's go. Lana promised to lend us her Lapras to go to the reef, right?"

"Just don't forget to get back before nightfall," Lana warned them. "He doesn't like being at open sea in the dark."

"Meanwhile, I'm going to Mallow's restaurant," said Serena.

"You're not coming with us?" Ash tilted his head, a bit puzzled at Serena's decision. So far, the three had gone everywhere together.

"I promised Mallow I'd teach her Tsareena a few moves for a routine," the Performer-Coordinator said. "Don't worry about me, just go and have fun."

"You heard her, Ash, let's go." Misty grabbed his arm and dragged him away.

"Wait! Where's Pikachu?" Ash didn't feel like going without his best friend.

"Don't worry, he's over there, making sandcastles with Togedemaru." Sophocles pointed where they were. "I'll keep an eye on them."

"And don't worry, we'll make sure there won't be any Palossand around," Kiawe added.

Serena wanted to ask what a Palossand was, but she figured she could do that later. For now, Misty was in a hurry to enjoy some time alone with Ash, and without wasting a second the twosome grabbed their stuff while they left with Lana, no doubt to get the diving gear and her Lapras. Serena's mind flew into her thoughts, since Misty had already told her of her plans beforehand.

 _ **Flashback, a few days before…**_

" _You're going for a dive?" Serena asked._

" _Lana told me of a coral reef not far from the shore," said Misty. "I'd like to have a date with Ash in that place. Of course, I wasn't planning on doing that without telling you first."_

" _Sounds appropriate." The Kalosian girl smiled. That seemed to go well with someone like Misty who loved all water-related stuff._

" _In any case, before I go, I'd like to ask a favor of you," said Misty. "Unlike me, you did have a couple dates with Ash, didn't you?"_

 _Serena almost rolled her eyes. Calling them 'dates-dates' would be stretching a bit too much, but she did have a couple outings alone with him. Not as many as she would have liked, nor the chance to do the things she would have wanted. Then again, she couldn't say she didn't enjoy them. They'd always be very special and beautiful memories for her._

" _I need your help." Misty brought her hands together in a begging position. "When we're done diving and all that, what do you suggest I should do?"_

 _Serena became thoughtful. There were many things she would have enjoyed to do with Ash, and even though she didn't have the chance before, she already had a couple ideas to gain his affection. For those who believed in the saying of 'the way to a man's heart is through his stomach', Ash was definitely the prime example._

" _Well, he always enjoyed the sweets I made for him," said Serena. "Actually, he was always happy whenever I gave him something, a gift or something to eat."_

" _I see." Misty nodded. "Yeah, come to think about it, I never shared much with Ash. Then again, I've never been a good cook, and the last thing I want to do is feeding him something that might kill him."_

" _Not a problem," said Serena. "I can show you my recipe for cookies. Ash will love them. Ash loves them, and if we get the ingredients they're easy to bake."_

" _Really?" Misty's eyes sparkled. That would be an excellent way to impress Ash, by getting him to taste something he prepared (and was edible)._

 _The two spent the morning in the supermarket, while Ash was too busy training with Kiawe and Sophocles, until they got all of the ingredients. Serena suggested that they'd take too some packs of chocolate chips, nuts and cinnamon to make them more varied. Afterward, they asked Mallow to let them use the restaurant's kitchen for a while to prepare the dough. Serena limited herself to just give Misty the instructions, since the redhead wanted to learn on her own, that way she could brag in front of Ash for having done it all herself._

 _Once upon a time, Misty would have tried to 'experiment', but with Serena watching to ensure that she wouldn't do anything that could throw down the drain her efforts, she decided not to. Looking back now, the one time she 'cooked' something good was when she had to brew that salveyo medicinal beverage for Ash when he Tracey inhaled Vileplume spores, only because she followed the recipe to the letter. If it worked back then, she figured this time it'd be the same and made sure not to stray from Serena's instructions._

 _After getting the dough ready, Misty put it in a tube to put small bits in a metal tray. They went for a small amount just as an experiment, enough to make little more than twenty cookies. Next step was getting them in the oven, which was the hardest part for Misty, since all he had to do was to wait, and the redhead hated waiting. Lucky for them the oven had a timer alarm so they wouldn't get burned or something. Until then Misty couldn't do anything but to humor herself eating the leftovers of the dough. It was actually tasty, that was a good sign._

 _Finally, when the alarm rang, they pulled the tray out, and the smell definitely wet their appetite. They were ready, all that was left was to sprinkle them with the additional stuff they bought, and let them rest for a bit before getting them in the oven a second time to get them crispy. This way they'd last longer, according to Serena, although the Kalosian girl had the feeling they were going to disappear much faster than they made them. Then again, this was just the 'test' batch, so they were free to eat them all if they wanted._

" _OK, here goes nothing," said Serena, once they cooled off enough. She took the first and tasted it._

" _How is it?" Misty crossed her fingers._

" _See by yourself." Serena smiled. OK, she didn't make any gestures nor she got choked with them, surely that meant they were fine. Misty took one sprinkled in chocolate chips and in downed it a single chew._

" _Hmm… hmmm! Not bad. Not bad for something I baked myself." Misty smiled in satisfaction and quickly grabbed half the tray for herself._

" _Congratulations, they're very good for the first time," said Serena._

" _Thank you so much." Misty hugged Serena with gratitude. "I'd never have done it without your help."_

" _Hey, I just gave you instructions. You did everything on your own," Serena replied. "I'm sure Ash will love them."_

" _I hope so." Misty nodded. "But I want enjoy these myself, you can't eat the rest if you want. Please don't tell Ash, I want to surprise him."_

 _Misty said the last part winking, and Serena giggled. Of course she wasn't going to say anything. Her friend (and rival) deserved to enjoy her triumph, after all she had earned it on her own._

 **End of flashback.**

Serena wasn't bothered at all. After all, part of their pact was that each of them would have her chance to spend some time alone with Ash, as long as they didn't abuse it, either with the time, or making… 'advances' at the other's expense. With that in mind, she went to rehearse her routine. She would have wished her luck, but the redhead had another batch of cookies (almost three pounds) in the ready for her date since that morning. If they came out as good as the first, and Serena was sure of it, she wouldn't need it.

 _ ***POKÉMON TRANSLATOR ACTIVATED***_

In the meantime, Pikachu and Togedemaru kept on making their sandcastles by the shore. The Kanto mouse was still on alert at the potential appearance of a Palossand, after that bad experience with one of them swallowing whole Ash and his Litten. In case any other would show up, he had to be VERY careful not to incur in its wrath.

" _ **Done, now it only needs its flags!"**_ Togedemaru said.

The electric hedgehog tried to place one on the highest tower, but her small size and short limbs were not helping. And she didn't want to risk jumping over it, fall on top and bring down all that hard work in a single blow.

" _ **Let me help you."**_ The mouse carefully lifted her over his head, placing her high enough to reach the top of the tower and place the flag with no problems. With this, he put her back down.

" _ **Thanks a lot, you're a real sweetheart."**_ Togedemaru jumped over him.

" _ **Hey, get off me, don't be so clingy!"**_ Pikachu replied trying to get her off him.

But the more he tried, the less Togedemaru would let him go. It was incredible that after so many years, she had not forgotten about him and was still as affectionate as before. Normally he wouldn't mind, but sometimes she got too excited and involuntarily let out her quills, and that was no fun at all. The worst part, her Lightning Rod ability meant he couldn't use his electric attack to make her get away, since she would just absorb them. At least Dawn's Buneary was a little more reserved in showing affection.

" _ **Hey, hey, what do you think you two are doing here?"**_

That was a voice none of them recognized. Pikachu and Togedemaru stopped playing around to meet a figure larger than them approaching. An Alolan Raichu, coming towards them surfing on its tail. It seemed kind of annoyed, and as soon as it got off its tail-board, folded its arms looking down at them.

" _ **Who said you could play sandcastles around here?"**_ If it weren't for the voice, Pikachu wouldn't have noticed she was female, and even that was hard to tell due to that complete lack of femininity in her attitude.

" _ **Is there a problem?**_ _"_ Pikachu was trying not to start a fight, but he had the feeling that wouldn't be the case.

" _ **I don't like seeing any wimps in my beach,"**_ the evolved rodent replied, looking sideways at Togedemaru. The hedgehog frowned at that.

" _ **Who are you calling wimps?"**_

" _ **You see someone else here?"**_ the Raichu said. _**"Get out now or else…"**_

" _ **Or else?**_ _"_ Togedemaru defied her. _**"Come on, Pikachu, kick her butt!"**_

" _ **Hey! Why do**_ **I** _ **have to do that?**_ _"_ Pikachu didn't like picking unnecessary fights; he'd rather solve things peacefully.

" _ **Aw, come on. Every single local Raichu tried to challenge me, and none of them was even a good warm-up",**_ she declared with pride. _**"You really think a tiny and puny Pikachu could beat me?"**_

Pikachu became stiff at that comment, and felt a vein about to burst in his head. While he had refused to evolve, he had no aversion to interact with Raichu, unless they looked down on him for being unevolved. That always got him incensed, it was a button that whoever pressed it had to pay.

" _ **You've heard me, now get outta here,"**_ Raichu insisted.

" _ **This is a public beach, you can't kick us out."**_ Togedemaru stood her ground.

" _ **No? Then look at what I do with your precious castle."**_ And using her psychic powers, she shook her tail and brought down the highest tower.

" _ **HEY!"**_ Togedemaru protested, but Raichu didn't stop there; she delivered tail slaps one after the other until she completely demolished the castle they had spent so much time and effort building. Pikachu didn't stand it any longer and delivered a tail slap of his own to her face.

" _ **Oh, what do we have here? You want to fight me?"**_

" _ **Hell yeah! You were looking for troubles?! You got them now!"**_

The Raichu stood on top of her tail and hovered, charging against Pikachu. The mouse jumped out of her way, focusing electricity in his tail and throwing an Electroball. The Raichu raised her paws and glowing with a purple aura, she used Psychic to stop the attack, sending it to the side, specifically towards Togedemaru. Fortunately, her Lightning Rod ability would take care of any potential concern from Pikachu. The hedgehog absorbed the electric sphere and Pikachu continued his fight against Raichu.

The evolved rodent began charging her electric sacs, releasing a massive Thunderbolt. Pikachu jumped to the side and dodged without difficulties. Raichu kept going, but Pikachu was just too fast.

" _ **Hold still!**_ _"_ she yelled, but when he didn't do it, she raised her paws and used Psychic to stop him dead on and lifted him up in the air, upside down. _**"Now you can't run away!"**_

Once again she charged her sacs for a Thunderbolt, and this time Pikachu couldn't do anything to dodge. The unevolved mouse was sent flying to land on his belly, but to Raichu's surprise, he quickly got back on his feet and shrugged that attack like it was nothing.

" _ **Is that all you got?"**_ he said in a mocking tone. _**"I've taken worse."**_

" _ **Don't let her beat you, hit her harder, harder, harder!**_ _"_ Togedemaru cried out.

" _ **You insolent pipsqueak, I'll show you some respect!"**_ Raichu yelled, once again standing on top of her tail to surf towards him, this time becoming engulfed in electric energy for what clearly was a Wild Charge attack.

" _ **Look out!"**_ Togedemaru yelled.

Pikachu didn't need the warning, Pikachu jumped and landed on the other side, and then began running towards her. So she had Wild Charge? He had something much better.

" _ **Let's see how you like this!**_ _"_ he yelled as he ran covered in his own electricity, but much stronger.

The Raichu widened her eyes upon noticing it was a Volt Tackle, heading for her at full speed. Her natural reaction was trying to stop him dead in his tracks using Psychic, but as soon as she raised her paws, Pikachu jumped, ramming her right on the belly and knocking the air out of her. Tumbling backwards and rubbing her stomach as soon as she recovered, she stared at the non-evolved rodent, but this time not with anger but with… respect, maybe?

" _ **That… hurt… I like that, you're not a wimp. Come on, give me more!"**_ She challenged him.

" _ **Eh?**_ _"_ Pikachu tilted his head, completely confused. Was she urging him to attack her more?

" _ **What are you waiting for? Finish her, show her who's boss!"**_ Togedemaru cried out.

Pikachu was no longer angry with Raichu, just confused. In any case, he had his mind set in giving her the just desserts for messing with them and he wasn't going to stop now. Raichu began to charge up her sacs for another massive Thunderbolt, and for some reason Pikachu felt that her stare was kind of creepier than at the beginning. But focusing his attention on the battle at hand, he prepared to take Raichu's attack, without dodging. He coated his tail in metallic energy and without moving from his place, he waited for Raichu's discharge to almost hit him before jabbing it to the ground.

Raichu kept on attacking, and for a moment it seemed like she had won, until she stopped and saw Pikachu was still in the same place, completely unaffected by her attack. He didn't have the Lightning Rod ability like Togedemaru, but the Iron Tail was a great substitute, while it only worked to nullify the damage of enemy electric attacks and not to increase his own power. The Raichu smiled in delight, and Ash's starter had a shiver. He didn't like that one bit, it gave him a pretty BAD feeling.

" _ **Let's end this at once,"**_ said Raichu. Pikachu couldn't do anything else but nod. After all, looking at her, all she had was enough power for one last attack.

Raichu became covered in electricity and jumped over her tail-board one more time, ready to charge. Alright, if she wanted to play that way, he'd do the same. Pikachu jumped backwards to get some a running start, and covered himself in his own electricity to charge with his own attack. Volt Tackle met Wild Charge, and in the impact point, the former dominated the later. Raichu was sent flying through the air, crashing backwards as soon as Pikachu stopped running, gasping a little at the recoil damage from his own attack. But finally, the fight was over.

Raichu lied on the ground knocked, and Togedemaru approached her, touching her with her small hands. Pikachu also approached cautiously, hoping he hadn't gone too overboard with that last attack. A few seconds later, the evolved rodent suddenly jumped back up on her feet, and her eyes had become… hearts?

" _ **At long last! I find one who is worthy of being my mate!"**_ she exclaimed.

" _ **Eh? What are you talking about?"**_ Pikachu didn't get that. Togedemaru, for her part, didn't seem to like the implications of what she just said.

" _ **I've already told you! Everyone else in this beach is a puny wimp! None of them were good even for warm up! But you, you're different. Not evolved, and yet you're stronger than all of them together. Come to my arms!"**_ She immediately jumped to grab Pikachu into a hug.

" _ **Hey, get away from him!"**_ Togedemaru charged with Zing Zap, ramming Raichu by the side.

" _ **Ouch! Hey you spiked furball, who invited you?!"**_

" _ **You want him?! You have to get through me first!"**_

" _ **You wanna take a swing at me too?!"**_ Raichu raised her fists.

" _ **ANYTIME! FIGHT!"**_

Alright, this was new. Usually Pikachu, just like Ash, attracted Pokémon females thanks to his kind nature. Maybe one or two thanks to his strength and determination, but this? Never in his life had he gotten the attention of one for kicking her butt. To make it worse, now he was in the middle of a fight between Raichu and Togedemaru, and he had no idea whether he should intervene and risk his physical integrity, or slip away without them noticing. Maybe now he'd have an idea on how Ash felt when Misty had her jealousy outbursts and almost gotten into fights against other girls who wanted his attention.

" _ **How did I get into this mess?"**_

 _ ***POKÉMON TRANSLATOR DEACTIVATED***_

* * *

 _ **At the coral reef…**_

It wasn't the first time Ash and Misty would sail across the sea on the back of a Lapras. After all, that had been their regular transport during their journey through the Orange Islands. But it was the first time they sailed over one specifically equipped for that purpose, and it certainly was much more comfortable than sitting directly on top of its shell. It was also the first time they got to do it just the two of them (since in the Orange Islands Tracey was always with them), a thought Misty found very romantic.

As they reached the point Lana had told them, the two had Lapras stop. They were fully equipped: flippers, breathing masks and wetsuits. Ash couldn't help but notice Misty had rented one that left her legs completely bare, and knowing her, that was most likely a deliberate action. The redhead snickered every time she caught him staring at them, and then tried to look away. She wouldn't mind if he ogled her just a little bit, as long as he didn't see other girls the same way (with the hypothetical exception of Serena, of course).

"Here we are, are you ready?" she said as she put on the flippers and the breathing mask.

"As ready as I'll ever be," he replied.

The redhead had taken all of her Pokémon with her, and she put on a belt with all six Pokéballs to let them out as soon as they dived in. Ash only brought along Greninja's Pokéball, thinking that he deserved to relax for a bit if they were going to skip the training of that day anyway. Maybe after some rest he'd be in better shape to continue later.

"Here we go!" And with this, Misty dived backwards into the sea with Popplio in her arms, and Ash quickly following them.

As a Water Pokémon trainer, Misty loved all water-related activities. Diving was definitely one of her favorites, and she always loved to do it in new places. Exploring the unknown was always exciting. Once they were deep in, and in a more or less open area, they let out their Pokémon. As a preemptive measure, Misty had already gotten her new Popplio inside a Pokéball, and the first thing to do was to have her feel comfortable around her new friends.

"Everyone, come out now! I want you to meet someone! Popplio, these are my Pokémon, say hi!"

The small seal looked around, meeting her trainer's other Pokémon. A clapping green frog, a blue and white rabbit, a living pink coral, a purple starfish with a ruby in the center, all of them welcoming her in the merriest way they knew, and Popplio replied in the same fashion, squeaking and clapping happily. But when she got in front of the large blue marine snake, who smiled showing off his huge fangs (or that was the impression he gave), her immediate reaction was to panic and hide behind her trainer. Misty sighed and chuckled.

"Rest easy, Popplio. Gyarados is fierce, but only to those who make us angry. He wants to be your friend too, and if something bad happens, he'll protect you. Right?"

"Roar!" The serpent nodded. Popplio didn't seem to fully trust Gyarados, but Misty's stare was enough to convince her to go out again.

"You too come out, Greninja!" Ash let out his ninja frog, who looked around realizing where they were and stared at his trainer a little puzzled. Ash didn't need to synchronize with him to know what he was thinking. "Today we're taking a break from training. You've worked really hard, it's OK to relax for a bit."

"Ninja?" Greninja was too used to train nonstop, but if his trainer told him to relax, he wouldn't question him. He nodded, and then saw then new Pokémon in Misty's arms.

"Greninja, let me introduce you to someone," Misty said. "Popplio, say hi to Greninja too."

"Pop, pop!" The small seal clapped, and the ninja frog smiled passing his webbed hand over her head. In response, Popplio generated a few water balloons from her nose. Misty took a particular interest in this.

"Wow, I didn't know she could do that." She smiled.

"Popplio can make water balloons when they're happy," Ash explained. "Lana's Primarina could make them quite big, even to using them to submerge without an oxygen tank."

"Really?" Misty liked the sound of that. "We need to try something like that sometime. Well, enough with presentations. Let's all go explore the reef!"

With this, Pokémon and their trainers began swimming all over the place. The reef was huge and beautiful. Ash only had the chance to explore the surface before, so now that he had a chance to do it with Misty it was much more fun. He couldn't expect any less: the redhead was super excited with so many Water Pokémon around her. There were many that she already knew, schools of Luvdisc, Alomomola and Finneon, although there were also several native to Alola she had never seen before.

At some point she found a school of white fishes, which as soon as they saw Misty's Gyarados began to gather up, and much to their surprise they formed a large dark blue fish looking like a combat submarine. They were ready to get into a fight, if it wasn't because Misty ordered her marine snake to stop, although Ash was almost ready to call for Greninja to intervene if needed. Much later, Misty ran into one that looked like a black ovoid with pink spikes. Upon touching it, it suddenly expelled some foam that formed a heart, and she couldn't help but smile. Ash told her that when he got to Alola for the first time, one of these (called a Pyukumuku) it gave him the V-sign.

The two continued to venture even further in the reef. Misty became even more and more excited every time she saw and unknown species, but her excitement turned into a panic when she ventured into a grotto, some kind of blue spider with green-yellow legs and a bubble helmet in its head, seemed quite creepy with its hanging mandibles. Misty's natural reaction was to scream and hide behind Ash, who simply shook his head in resignation and approached the little spider.

"Hey, sorry about that. She doesn't like bugs very much," he said. "She didn't mean to scare you, you may go now."

The spider swam away, and Ash turned to his companion. It goes without saying she was quite ashamed of her reaction, but some things never changed, one of them being her fear of bugs.

"What was that?" Ash asked.

"Ash, you already know I don't like bugs," she replied, folding her arms.

"Not even those who are part Water-types?" Ash inquired.

"You can't deny seeing that face up close is really creepy," the redhead defended herself.

"They're not that bad," said Ash. "Araquanid is actually one of the most docile and protective Pokémon in Alola."

"If you say so," Misty replied. Right then her stomach groaned, and so did Ash's, echoing louder due to the effect of the water. "I think it's a good time to go for lunch, isn't it?"

"Yeah, I'm hungry too," Ash admitted.

With this, they both called their Pokémon to get back to the surface. Fortunately for them, Lana's Lapras hadn't moved from its place, patiently waiting for them to end their little underwater tour. The other Pokémon followed to, and after getting on Lapras' back, Misty pointed at one of the smaller islands to have a rest. After removing her breathing mask, the redhead deliberately threw her head backwards to shake the water off her hair, and Ash for a moment had the impression that time slowed down and the water droplets flying around were glittering around her. Upon realizing he was staring longer than needed, he quickly focused on taking the flippers of his feet.

To have some time alone, Misty suggested they let the Pokémon go off on their own to play (warning her Gyarados not to get into trouble). Meanwhile, Popplio had fallen asleep after swimming with them for so long, so Misty stayed with her while going for her bag to pull out the lunch basket. For now she'd keep the little surprise for Ash a secret, stored in a separate package.

\- Let's dig in," the two said as they pulled out their food.

The lunch consisted in some sandwiches, fried noodles, weenies and a pair of juice bottles. Rations big enough for four people, but for the two of them, barely enough. The two had devoured everything in less than a few minutes. Misty glanced around: except for Lana's Lapras, the rest of their Pokémon were still at a good distance doing their things. Gyarados had begun playing lifting Politoed and Azumarill with his tail, Greninja was running across the water surface (where did he learn that?), and Corsola played splash with Starmie. That should keep them busy for a while, and upon glancing at Ash rubbing his full belly, Misty knew this was the perfect time to make her move.

"You still have room for dessert?" she asked.

"You know I always do," he replied.

She smiled as she pulled her surprise package. The time had come, the time to present Ash the results of her work, this was the trial by fire. Taking a deep breath, she opened the cookie bag, showing them to Ash.

"This looks good." Ash took a handful of them and downed them all in a single chomp. "Hmm… hmm, delicious!"

"You like them?" The redhead smiled. "I'm glad… because _I_ made them."

Suddenly, Ash stopped chewing, glancing at Misty, who was smiling widely and giving him a mischievous look. That was exactly the reaction she expected, and she had to contain the urge to laugh: his expression was definitely priceless. Not too hard to imagine what he was thinking at the time, after all, cooking was never her forte and she was fully aware of it. Surely enough, the exact words coming to his mind would be: "Misty prepared something edible, and it's delicious on top of that?"

"You're kidding," said Ash. "They're just as good as Serena's."

"In my defense, I used her recipe for the dough, but I gave them my own touch," Misty replied. Seeing his look of "I don't believe you", the redhead felt a little angry. "What? Don't look at me like that. I did everything she told me. I knew I had to; after all I was making them especially for you."

"Well, if you say so." Ash grabbed another handful. "In any case, they're delicious, congratulations."

As she glanced at the glutton swallowing the cookies, and satisfied at her success, the redhead grabbed a pretty good bunch of the cookies to herself. She had the rights to enjoy them as well.

"Hey!" Ash exclaimed. "I thought you said you had made them for me?"

"Don't be so stingy, there's enough here for the two of us," she replied.

"But you're taking almost all of the chocolate ones, that's not fair," the boy argued back. The redhead looked and saw it was true. Seeing her chance, she got a marvelous idea.

"Alright… I'll share them, on one condition." Ash tilted his head, wondering what she was up to. The redhead took between her fingers very carefully one of the chocolate cookies (Ash's favorites, it seemed), and gave him a provocative smile. "Open wide and say 'aaaaaaahhh'."

"You're joking, do you really expect me to do that?" Ash replied. He wasn't keen on doing something that embarrassing, no matter how delicious the cookies were.

"Aw, come on, we're alone here, nobody's going to see you." She winked. "It'll be our secret."

"Hmm… aaaaaaahhh…"

The boy finally resigned himself and did as asked. Misty happily placed the cookie in his mouth, but she didn't stop there, that wasn't enough. She forced him to continue the same routine for quite a while. Ash was happy there was nobody else with them at the time, and the Pokémon were playing away out of their sight (even if they couldn't speak human language), it was humiliating that Misty quite literally had him eating from her hand. Though admittedly, he did find this little game somewhat fun, in a sense.

For her part, the redhead made a personal note of thanking Serena for her help with this, while also resisting the urge to glomp on Ash in excitement and gratitude. Was this how it felt when your loved one ate something you had prepared especially for him with a lot of love? She definitely loved that feeling. Next time she'd have to ask Serena to teach her how to bake a cake.

* * *

 _ **Mallow's restaurant…**_

As promised, Serena was teaching Mallow some movements to get started on Pokémon Showcasing. It helped a lot Tsareena's arsenal included moves like Rapid Spin and Magical Leaf, and she definitely had a natural talent for dancing, although for some variety, Serena was teaching him a new attack with Sylveon's help.

"Show them again, Dazzling Gleam!" Serena commanded.

"Sylveon!" Obeying her trainer, Sylveon jumped in the air, launching a powerful rainbow-colored glow all over the nearby area.

"Amazing." Mallow was really enjoying the show. "Your turn, Tsareena, do the same!"

"Tsaree!" Nodding, Tsareena jumped as well, performing the same glow as Sylveon, but not as intense or as lasting, as it dispelled after a few seconds, having a narrower effect area.

"You're doing very well. That's a lot of progress in a short time," Serena congratulated them.

"Thanks." The green-haired girl smiled. "But were nowhere near as close to yours. Your Sylveon's Dazzling Gleam is incredible, I hope we can do it like that one day."

"You'll eventually make it, I'm sure," said Serena. "In any case, I think it's a good time to test it in a battle, let's see how well she can use it, shall we?"

"Perfect. Tsareena?" asked Mallow. The flower made no objections and stepped forward, ready to fight.

"Your turn. Pancham, I choose you!" Serena threw her Pokéball.

"Cham! Pancham!" The small panda adjusted his sunshades after coming out, ready to get started.

"Tsareena, start with Magical Leaf!" Mallow called. Immediately, Tsareena extended her hands forward and fired a rain of glowing leaves at Pancham.

"Pancham, defend with Stone Edge!" Serena countered.

"Cham!" Pancham slammed on the floor with his small hands, summoning several sharp rocks around, shielding himself of the leaf barrage. With this, he jumped over them and stared at Tsareena.

"Now, Dark Pulse!" Serena ordered, and then he fired his dark energy beams.

"Rapid Spin and Double Slap!" Mallow countered.

Tsareena began spinning her body, deflecting Pancham's dark beams as she advanced forward at full speed. Once she shortened the distance, she extended her 'hair strands' to slap Pancham with them, sending him flying. That combo would have been worth a good amount of points in a Pokémon Contest, Serena thought.

"Tsareena, use Dazzling Gleam!" Mallow ordered, finally ready to try her new attack. And without wasting any time, the dancing flower emitted the rainbow glow at her opponent.

"Pancham, Counter-Shield!" Serena replied.

Instantly, Pancham got on his back, and began spinning making his breakdance steps just like he did in the showcase they made for Ms. Lusamine, firing off Dark Pulse beams with each hand. The rotating energy enabled him to shield himself of Tsareena's Fairy-type attack until it ceased.

"Tsareena, Magical Leaf!" Mallow ordered, and the dancing flower fired off another rain of glowing leaves at Pancham. Serena, however, had her counterattack in the ready.

"Pancham, Arm Thrust!"

Pancham opened his small hands, beginning to deliver a series of quick palm thrusts, to repel the rain of leaves coming towards him.

"Now, Stone Edge all over the area!" Serena exclaimed.

Pancham hit the floor with his hands and sharp stone pillars emerged all over the place. This time they were more spread, and Tsareena had more difficulties to dodge, since they didn't only come vertical, but also slanted to catch her by surprise.

"Jump and use Power-Up Punch!" Serena cried out.

"Pan, CHAM!"

"Double Slap, Tsareena!" Mallow replied in turn.

Pancham's punch encountered Tsareena's hair strands. Even though the attacks were more or less evenly matched in power, Tsareena won in physical strength and size, getting to push Pancham backwards, having to spin in the air to land safely.

"Tsareena, use Sweet Scent!"

At this voice, the flower Pokémon began twirling around like performing a ballet, at the same time she released a cloud of pink spores around. The attack had an extremely wide area and there was no way to dodge, and Pancham began feeling in a daze as the spores made their effect. Mallow saw her chance.

"Now's our chance! Rapid Spin and Double Slap!"

Tsareena was ready to deliver the final blow on Pancham while he was still tumbling around the effects of the Sweet Scent, but her attempt was interrupted when something, or someone else, got the idea of getting in the field in that very instant. The Sweet Scent cloud had spread so much that it not only affected Pancham, but also a certain yellow bird who was close by watching the show, and as soon as the spores got into his nostrils, he couldn't hold back any longer and flew forward, getting in the way of Tsareena and Pancham.

"Look out!" Serena cried out.

"Tsareena, stop!" Mallow ordered.

Tsareena could barely brake before hitting the bird, who was still dancing around waving his "pompoms" in the wings, still happily chirping. The two girls stared at him, especially the Kalosian, who gazed him with interest and immediately took her Pokédex to scan him:

" **ORICORIO, THE DANCE POKÉMON. THE PRIMARY TYPE OF THIS FLYING-TYPE POKÉMON NATIVE TO ALOLA DEPENDS ON THE NECTAR IT CONSUMES FROM THE FLOWERS, WHICH ALSO CHANGE ITS FORM COMPLETELY. THIS PARTICULAR SPECIMEN IS CURRENTLY IN THE POM-POM STYLE FORM, WHICH IS AN ELECTRIC TYPE."**

"Ori, ori, oricorio!" The bird chirped still dancing around as if making a cheerleader routine. Serena instantly became enamored with him.

"Come to think about it, I think I saw him around here a few days ago," Mallow commented. "I think Tsareena's Sweet Scent must have made him get out."

"He's really cute," said Serena. "And look at those moves, I'd love one of these for myself."

"Then why don't you catch him?" Mallow suggested. Serena looked around, as if wondering if he didn't belong to someone else. "There are many of them around here, I think there's nothing wrong with wanting one for yourself."

"If you say so." Serena asked Pancham to step back, since he was tired by the sparring match with Tsareena, she decided to send in another of her Pokémon. She hadn't done this in a very long time, a Pokémon catch the old-fashioned way. "Roselia, I choose you!"

"Rose!" The rose Pokémon came out to the field, making an elegant reverence as a true lady. Oricorio noticed her presence and quickly took on a battle stance. That seemed to save the presentations, so they could get started.

"Roselia, start with Petal Dance!" Serena called.

Roselia began spinning around, sending a rain of petals against Oricorio. The bird replied shaking his wings/pompoms, sending a few wind slashers to protect himself; an Air Cutter attack. After this, he executed a dance routine, and placing his pompoms forward, he fired an electric discharge. Roselia jumped out of the way to dodge, while Serena once again set her attention on the bird.

"Mallow, what was that attack?" she asked.

"Revelation Dance," the greenhead replied. "That's Oricorio's signature attack, and always matches the primary type of its current form."

Serena took note of this. Right then, Oricorio rushed in a series of Peck attacks on Roselia, who simply dodged them using her own dancing moves. If they weren't fighting against each other, the casual observer could have easily assumed they were dancing partners. Serena smiled, she definitely needed that for her future presentations. She could imagine all of the routines they could perform with this little bird in their team. But as much as she'd enjoy a good battle, it was better to capture him at once.

"Roselia, Poison Powder!" Serena commanded.

Roselia once again began spinning and from her rose hands fired of a purple dust cloud over Oricorio. But the bird, not willing to yield just yet, began flapping his wings to execute Air Cutter to dispel it. Pretty smart, Serena liked that too. But she had a few tricks of her own.

"Roselia, keep releasing Poison Powder around him!"

One of her favorite routines for Pokémon Contests in the battle phase was releasing Poison Powder while spinning around the opponent. Roselia was quite fast to execute this move, and it was pretty handy to trap the opponent in a situation where they wouldn't have an escape route, ensuring the Poison Powder to irrevocably land on the opponent. Coming from every direction at once he couldn't defend. Sure enough, the purple dust cloud finally fell on top despite his efforts to dispel it with Air Cutter. Oricorio's face began to stumble as his face became purple due to the poison's effect.

"Now, Grass Knot!" Serena called.

Roselia glowed with a green aura as used her rose hands to send a green energy wave across the ground towards Oricorio, making a few roots appear under Oricorio's feet, restraining him. That should be enough to get him fit for the catch, but Serena, always considerate, she didn't bring an ordinary Pokéball, but a Heal Ball. The captures of Roselia and Froslass taught her one of these could always come in handy to get a newly caught Pokémon healed and ready in case he was immediately needed.

"Here goes!" She then threw it.

The pink ball hit Oricorio, absorbing him in a red light. It remained on the ground, shaking once, twice, thrice until it finally stopped. The activator button dimmed down and the sound of ***PING*** registered the capture. Serena picked it up, and holding it with both hands made a victory pose.

"Ta-da, a new page of my journey! I got an Oricorio!"

Roselia made a reverence; that was her own victory pose. Mallow for her part, clapped as she smiled. That battling style definitely was similar to Ash's. Serena immediately threw the Heal Ball, letting out her new capture. The small bird landed and stared at his new trainer, who kneeled to see him up closer. He looked really nice.

"Hi, Oricorio," she greeted him. "Nice to meet you, I'm Serena."

"Ori, ori!" The bird happily chirped.

"You've got a lot of enthusiasm, don't you?" Serena said. "Do you like our performances? Would you like to train with us?"

"Ori!" He began hopping cheerfully.

Just like Misty, now Serena also had a new friend to take as a souvenir from the Alola region. First things first; she had to bring in the others, Delphox, Froslass and Sylveon to meet him. They were going to be partners from now on. She couldn't wait to show her new friend to Ash and Misty too.

* * *

 _ **That night at the Hanohano Hotel…**_

After such an active day, Ash, Misty and Serena returned to their room, ready to take a well-earned break, even though they still hadn't made any plans for the next day. Ash was quite surprised to see Serena had caught a new Pokémon, lamenting a bit having missed it out for being busy with his 'diving date' at the coral reef. Misty almost gave him a death glare for that, but it was more for paying more attention to the Pokémon instead of Serena. Nevertheless, when the Kalosian showed them their new friend, Misty had to admit he was cute, and she was looking forward to see him in action.

While Misty took a shower and Serena was at the balcony, Ash and Pikachu were sitting on the couch, changing the channels in the remote, not finding anything interesting. For now, there wasn't any League Conference in course, and he didn't know what to watch. Ash also noticed the rodent had been sleeping almost since they got back, and he still hadn't asked him why he looked so tired. How tiring could have been jut building sandcastles at the beach? Did he get into something?

Right then, the beeping of his video-transceiver pulled him back from his thoughts. Whoever was calling him wasn't registered in his ID caller, so he pressed the button to answer, setting it for audio and video.

"Hello?" A second later, Lillie's face appeared on screen.

"Ash? Sorry, I had to ask Serena for your number," the blonde said. "Is this a bad time?"

"No way," he replied. "Do you need something, can I help you?"

"No, but thanks. Do you have a TV at hand?" Lillie asked with a sense of urgency.

"Sure, but I don't find anything interesting, why?"

"Please watch the local channel, it should be on now."

Curiously, Ash watched Channel 26 (according to the TV Guide of the satellite channels) and stopped to watch whatever Lillie wanted him to see. He quickly recognized the woman, she was a popular event announcer who was always there to cover competitions, concerts and more (Ash didn't even know her name), and she frequently floated around on a Magnezone serving as a moving platform to always be close to the action.

"That's right folks, only one day left to sign up!" she said in a cheery tone. "If you guys wish to compete in the Pokémon Relay Triathlon, the inscriptions close tomorrow at noon! Don't waste your chance to win the fabulous prize!"

Ash quickly sat on the edge of the couch, watching the broadcast with interest. Meanwhile, Serena entered back to get a drink from the fridge, and stopped when she saw the TV. They were basically describing the competition, the Pokémon Triathlon in each of its three stages and how it would be done, and of course, the announcement of a surprise prize for the winner.

"A Pokémon Triathlon, was it that?" asked Ash.

"Doesn't it sound exiting?" said Lillie. "We thought maybe you, Misty and Serena would like to take part. It'll be in teams of three, what do you say?"

"It doesn't sound bad." Ash smiled. Even though Pokémon battling was his specialty, he was willing to take part in any competition, if only for the thrill of the moment. "You guys are taking part too?"

"Lana, Kiawe and Mallow are making a team," the blonde replied. "Sophocles and I are only going to cheer them on."

"Sounds fun," said Serena. "I haven't competed in something else than Pokémon Contests or Showcases in a long time. It'll be a good change of pace."

"Serena says yes, we just need to ask Misty," said Ash.

"Great. We'll see you tomorrow. Good luck!" Lillie ended the call.

Ash and Serena kept watching the broadcast until Misty came out of the shower. When they told her about the competition, the redhead gladly accepted, as it sounded really exciting. And it was fair for them to spend some quality time the three of them, when they weren't on "individual dates".

* * *

 _ **The next day…**_

"Hello everyone, and welcome to the eleventh annual Pokémon Relay Triathlon of Melemele Island! We're coming to you live, and the participants are in position!"

Indeed, the great race was about to start. The rules were simple: three-man teams, each one riding a Pokémon during one of the stages, and the team who reached the goal first would win. The stages were: first, surfing across the sea carrying a flag to one of the faraway isles, where a large mountain awaited. Here started the second stage: climbing up until the top and plant the flag at the checkpoint. With this, the third member would ride a flying Pokémon to go back to the starting point. According to the rules, Pokémon could use their attacks to aid themselves during the race, but not to interfere with the progress of others. Anyone who did that would be instantly disqualified.

At the starting line at the beach were the participants of the first stretch. Amongst them were of course Lana and Misty, already riding Lapras and Gyarados respectively. The two Water Pokémon trainers exchanged glances as they awaited the starting cue. Amongst the other competitors there were Wailmer, Sharpedo, Gastrodon, and they even saw a Blastoise. There would be a lot of competition.

"Let's do our best," said Lana.

"May the best one win." Misty smiled.

"We're ready to go!" the announcer voiced. "Competitors, on your marks!"

At this voice, red lights turned on at the starting line, everyone got hold of their Pokémon.

"Get set?" With this, the amber lights switched on, and everyone looked ahead. "GO!"

 _ **BANG!**_ The starting shot rang out, and all Pokémon began surfing. Some of the ones riding Sharpedo quickly took the lead. They could have won easily, had it not been because the race wouldn't be in a straight line, but they had to go under several arches place all over the route as checkpoints. Speed wasn't everything in this race.

Indeed, when they approached the arches, the Sharpedo had to slow down, since skipping them would cost them a 5-second penalty. This was the chance for the stragglers, and Misty in particular saw her chance to get an advantage.

"Dive in, Gyarados!" the redhead ordered, taking a deep breath.

Gyarados quickly vanished under the water and began snaking around. The best way to avoid traffic was to go under or above it, but the latter was not an option. A few seconds later he came back to the surface, right in front of one of the arches they had to pass through, and once they did, they submerged again, repeating the sequence.

"Would you look at that, fans!" the announcer yelled in excitement. "Misty and her Gyarados are bypassing the competition going under the water!"

Lana, who had taken some advantage before, was quite surprised to see Misty emerging ahead of her and quickly swimming away. The bluenette squinted her eyes and frowned; why didn't it occur to her?

"Let's go, Lapras, we can't fall behind!"

Lapras quickly submerged along with its master, trying to keep up with Gyarados. Rules said that they couldn't interfere with the other competitors, so going underwater was an excellent way to stay away from them. Unfortunately, Gyarados' serpentine body was more aerodynamic than Lapras', and the Cerulean Gym Leader quickly gained the advantage, passing under the obstacles, and after going under the last arch, she quickly headed for the beach.

Lana managed to recover some time by following the same route as Misty, but there was no way to compete with Gyarados' underwater speed. However, as she exited the last arch, she got an idea from a story Ash told her once. She didn't know if it would work, but if it did, it would take a few seconds off her time.

"Lapras, use Ice Beam towards the shore!" the girl yelled.

Lapras opened its mouth and fired of the freezing ray, creating a straight ice path. It was a small stretch, but in a race, a few seconds, even one, could make the difference. Lapras jumped over the icy path and began using its flippers to slide over it.

"Wow, this is crazy! Lana and her Lapras create a frozen path to make up for a few seconds!" the announcer voiced. "This year's race gets interesting, fans!"

Despite Lana's maneuver, Misty and Gyarados managed to be the first to hit the shore. The redhead jumped off her mount and not wasting any time ran to the checkpoint where the others awaited to start the second stage.

"Misty, over here!" Ash called her, waving his hands to get her to notice him.

Spotting her partner, Misty immediately ran after him, with the flag in hand. They had to plant this flag on the mountaintop, and then take another one to their third partner in the final stretch.

"We're counting on you, Ash!" the redhead exclaimed. "If we lose we won't forgive you!"

"Rest easy." The black-haired young man quickly mounted on his Pokémon. "Ride like the wind, Tyranitar, let's go!"

Tyranitar roared and began running as fast as he could towards the mountain. Surprisingly, for his size and weight he was not quite as slow or clumsy on his feet as he could look at first glance. A few seconds later, Misty saw Lana arrive and go towards Kiawe, who awaited alongside an Arcanine. The dark-skinned redhead seemed a little upset that that she arrived in second place as opposed to first, but quickly grabbed the flag and ran after Ash, ready to begin the climb. Lana spotted Misty, and without any hurry walked towards her.

"Heh, seems like you beat me on the race," she said.

"Rest easy, the team who gets to the finish line will be the winner," Misty replied. "You surprised me; the only one I saw pull off something like that, creating an icy path while surfing was Ash."

"Yeah, he told us about how he won in an Orange League Gym that way," Lana explained. Misty couldn't help but chuckle. Ash's influence was always notorious on everyone he met. "And you, I don't know why I didn't think of going underwater to avoid the competition."

"Heh, Gyarados and I had the edge there." Misty glanced at her marine serpent with pride. "Let's see how the rest do."

The two girls stared at Ash, Kiawe and the other competitors as they headed towards the mountain base to begin the climb stretch. The second stage of the race had just begun.

"And the mountain climb starts! Ash Ketchum is the first one to reach the mountain base with his Tyranitar!" the announcer exclaimed.

Among the Pokémon being used in this stage, the participant had chosen many Rhyhorn, Tauros, Nidorino and Nidorina, who started struggling to regain some terrain. The start of this stage turned more violent than the previous one, since the path to the mountain trail was narrower, and when some begin to fight amongst each other to try and overtake the rest, they ended up being disqualified.

Fortunately, Ash didn't have to worry about that. Having lived in Johto's rocky mountain for so long, Tyranitar was a natural climber. Ash knew what he was doing in choosing him as the mount for this stage. The boy held on tight, while Tyranitar climbed up a steep slope. Several of the other competitors coming behind had difficulties in going up, and some of them even slipped down the hill, which increased their advantage, so they decided to exploit it.

"Go, Tyranitar, we have to be the first to arrive!" the trainer exclaimed.

"Don't count on that, Ash!" Kiawe' voice yelled.

Ash looked over his shoulder and saw Kiawe approaching them on his Arcanine very fast. Running and jumping with great skill and grace, the large canine took the lead, speeding away when the climb started to become almost vertical. Ash wondered how he could surpass that, and soon got his answer.

"Arcanine, Rock Climb!" Kiawe called. Arcanine's forepaws began glowing, and he jumped up clawing them on the rock to start climbing up.

"This is awesome, fans!" the announcer voiced. "Kiawe and his Arcanine decide to cut the normal path going up the side of the mountain! That'll take many seconds of their time, and at this rate they could break the current triathlon record!"

"Oh yeah?" Ash smiled. "Great idea, but you're not the only one who knows how to do that. Tyranitar, you use Rock Climb too!"

The rock dinosaur obliged his master, and making his own claws glow, began going up. By then, Kiawe and his Arcanine had already gone past halfway the climb. Looking over his shoulder he saw Ash and Tyranitar trying to keep up, using Rock Climb in the same fashion. Tyranitar was slower than Arcanine, but he was constant. They had to hurry if they wanted to keep their lead, so he urged hi canine to kick it up a notch. In matter of minutes, they had reached the top, so not wasting a second he ran to find Mallow and give her the flag.

"Hurry up, we have to win!"

"Leave it to us!" said Mallow.

Once she got the flag, the green-haired girl quickly went to plant it on the checkpoint to take the other, going to mount on her partner, which was none other than a Tropius.

"Let's go!" Instantly, the Grass/Flying Pokémon began flapping its wings and took off.

Meanwhile, Tyranitar and Ash were still going up, but just when they were about to reach the top, a loose rock caught them off guard. They managed to stop safely on an edge, but this wouldn't hold them for too long, it was beginning to crumble underneath Tyranitar's feet, and if they didn't hurry, they'd fall down.

"Tyranitar, use Hyper Beam to propel us upwards!" Ash yelled.

Without wasting a second, Tyranitar began charging up power in his maw, aiming downwards. Even for a big and heavy Pokémon like him, firing that attack at full power would have a huge knockback, and he always had to hold onto the ground with his feet to avoid getting sent backwards (even Snorlax, with all his weight, wasn't safe from this). But now, this knockback would come in handy: all the power turned Tyranitar into a living rocket, sending him straight to the top, leaving the edge behind just before it crumbled down.

"And just when I thought I had seen everything!" the announcer yelled. "Ash's Tyranitar uses his Hyper Beam to reach the top and save himself from falling!"

Unfortunately, even though they reached the top, the landing was nowhere as fun as the takeoff. Tyranitar fell backwards and almost crushed Ash falling on top of him. Serena, who was watching, immediately raced to his help.

"Ash! Are you alright?"

"Ouch… I think I didn't break anything." Ash got back on his feet and handed her the flag. "That doesn't matter now, we have a triathlon to win. Hurry, go!"

Seeing that Ash was alright, Serena immediately rushed to plant the flag and took the other to start the final stage. The chosen one for this job was none other than Ash's Pidgeot, since he was the fastest flyer they had (Charizard wanted in, but after competing in a quick race to decide, Pidgeot was the winner).

"Come on, Pidgeot, let's fly!" the Kalosian said.

"Pidgoooooo!" The bird spread his wings and took flight, starting the final stage of the race. Meanwhile, Kiawe and Ash stared as they flew away, and the latter glanced at the former.

"I think I beat you this time." Kiawe folded his arms in satisfaction.

"Maybe in this stage, but there's still one last more to go." Ash pointed.

Indeed, the first who arrived back at the starting point would win the competition for his or her team. Now the duel was between Mallow and Serena, since most of the remaining competitors had fallen behind to have a chance.

If the race was in a straight line, there was no doubt Ash's Pidgeot would easily win. But just like the sea stage, the air stage wouldn't be a straight line. Floating over the sea there were several hot air balloons holding giant hoops, and the flying Pokémon had to pass through them. This time, however, it was a competition of elimination and a race against the clock.

"Competitors, hurry up because the last stage is gonna get really hot!" the announcer cried out. "From here on out, whoever falls behind will be eliminated!"

Mallow and her Tropius were flying with the skill and dexterity of a veteran helicopter pilot, and were still in the lead. Pidgeot wasn't far behind in maneuverability, but he couldn't go full out without risking Serena to fall off his back. If it depended on him, he would have shot forward to the finish line already, but they had to fly through the hoops. On top of that, they were numbered in the order they were supposed to pass, and sometimes they had to pull back to get to the next one. The rider had to guide the Pokémon through the right course, going up, down and turning around in every direction.

"We almost made it, Tropius, keep it up!" Mallow cried out, as the passed through the sixth hoop.

The green-haired girl was still in the lead, but the elimination stage soon started. From here on out, while the Pokémon were still flying around, the balloons began dropping their hoops, and once they touched the water, whoever fell behind and didn't make it through would be eliminated. At the start there were around fifty teams starting. Not counting those who were disqualified during the second stage for getting into fights, around ten of the remaining ones didn't make it to the hoop. And one after the other, the selection continued, eliminating on average ten participants in each of them, until around the end only a dozen remained, including Serena and Mallow. There was only one last hoop left, and as soon as they let it go, all competitors flew at it.

"Tropius, use Tailwind!" Mallow exclaimed.

The palm-like Pokémon began flapping hard, creating a wind current around that pushed it forward at full speed. It would make it before the rest. Serena clenched her teeth, and decided to make a desperate move.

"Pidgeot, get behind Tropius and follow that current!"

"Pidgooooooo!" Pidgeot folded her winds and shot forward, letting himself be carried by the currents, and making it through the hoop just in time, before unfolding them again to rise and chase after Mallow's Tropius at full speed.

"And the last hoop is down, we only have two contestants left! Who's gonna win, fans, the local Mallow, or the visitor Serena?"

Tropius' Tailwind had its benefit, and they were almost reaching the finish line. However, Mallow didn't consider this could potentially be a double-edged sword, and the current was also taken advantage of by Pidgeot, who could let loose without making too much effort, keeping right behind Tropius. It looked like he was going to crash, but Serena knew what to do.

"Dodge with Aerial Ace!" she shouted.

And so he did. When Pidgeot was about to ram Tropius, he vanished leaving a white streak trail behind, reappearing in front, and immediately flew towards the shore, leaving his opponent behind, though he almost crash-landed in the process. Serena jumped off his back and with the flag in hand, she quickly planted it on the finish line, stopping the clock right when Mallow and Tropius came over landing. A buzzer rang off, and then streamers and confetti flew all over the place.

"We've got out winning team, fans!" the announcer declared. "Serena hasn't just won the Relay Pokémon Triathlon for her team; she also broke the previous record for almost five seconds! This is a milestone!"

"We did it!" The Kalosian girl celebrated.

Meanwhile, in the small island, Misty and Ash celebrated too, as they were watching the action the whole time via giant screen. The staff immediately began gathering all of the contestants to take them back to the starting line. Just as soon as they arrived, Serena ran in excitement towards Misty and Ash, the three sharing a group hug for their victory.

"We won, we won, we won!" The three cheered in unison. Meanwhile, the Alolan team also reunited, more calmly.

"I'm sorry, guys; that was too close." Mallow apologized.

"At least I could beat Ash in the second stage," said Kiawe trying to get some solace.

"We did well. Next year we'll work harder," said Lana.

"Attention all participants, please go to the starting line for the award ceremony!" the announcer requested. "And the winners, please step up on the stage!"

With this, all competitors gathered up, while Ash, Misty and Serena stepped on the stage to get their award. The announcer had her Magnezone float down, while the staff finished setting up the prizes, the individual medals and the trophy for the team. The trophy was customized, since every year they placed three gold figurines of the winning Pokémon, on three levels symbolizing each stage of the competition: Gyarados at the bottom, for the sea race; Tyranitar in the middle for the mountain climb; and Pidgeot and at the top, for the aerial stage.

"And here's this year's winning team: Misty, Ash and Serena." The announcer handed them the trophy. "Congratulations, you guys are the first totally non-Alolan team to win this triathlon. Tell me, how are you feeling now?"

"Really excited, of course," said Misty to the microphone. "I hadn't taken part in a race like this for years."

"And you, Ash, you were in trouble for a bit, when you and Tyranitar almost fell during the climb," the announcer continued. "Were you scared?"

"Just a little bit," Ash admitted. "But my motto is 'never give up until the very end'."

"I see. And Serena, that last maneuver you used to take the lead in the final stretch was quite impressive."

"I have to admit, these aren't my usual competitions, but I knew I had to do my best for my teammates," the Kalosian said.

"We're the best team ever, no one can stop us when we're together!" Misty hugged the other two very tightly, while they made gestures of being strangled, much to everyone's laugh.

"And that's it for this year, ladies and gentlemen! Congratulations to our winners Misty, Ash and Serena! This new record will remain for posterity, let's see if next year it gets broken! Thank you all and until next time!"

Between loud cheering and thunderous applause, the competition came to an end. The Alolan team accepted their defeat in stride, while the winners celebrated in good sportsmanship. Although there was still a problem left. Whose home would they take the trophy once they finished their vacations in Alola?

* * *

 _ **Somewhere else in the city…**_

"Alain, hurry up!"

A rather short, red-haired young woman wearing yellow and green clothes, accompanied by a Chespin raced across the streets. Behind her, a young man who was about twice as tall as her with black hair, dark gray clothes and ice-blue eyes, walked with an expression of annoyance in his face. He wore fingerless gloves, and in his left wrist he wore a black bracelet with a Key Stone. His female companion had ran off to the window of an electronics store, trying to drag him, but seeing it was no use, she simply ran off on her own.

"Mairin, what's the hurry?" he asked. "What's the big…?

The young man, whose name was Alain, stopped on his tracks upon seeing what was on the TV at the store's window. A live broadcast of the Pokémon Triathlon, who was about t end now. Alain was not interested in this, but upon seeing the winning team, he instantly recognized two of its members, although he focused more on the boy.

"Ash?" he said. "Is that Ash?"

"And that's it for this year, ladies and gentlemen! Congratulations to our winners Misty, Ash and Serena! This new record will remain for posterity, let's see if next year it gets broken! Thank you all and until next time!" the announcer declared.

"Who'd have guessed? We came for a little vacation here in Alola, and it turns out they're here too."

"Mairin, this is _not_ a vacation," Alain corrected her. "Remember we're here to run an errand for Professor Sycamore."

"Yeah, I know," the redhead replied, puffing up her cheeks. "But that doesn't mean we can't enjoy ourselves while we're here, does it?"

Alain rolled his eyes. Sometimes he wondered why he had accepted her as a traveling companion, and then he remembered that she always made his life more… upbeat, which he really needed. Plus, had it not been for her, he would have never found his current Key Stone and Charizardite X. He owed them to her. But of course, he wouldn't admit out loud that he had grown fond of her beyond that.

Nevertheless, seeing Ash on TV quickly brought back memories for the Kalosian young man, specifically of that fateful Lumiose Conference. Even though in paper he had won that battle, and Ash had acknowledged that fact, the revelation of having been all that time helping with the plans of a megalomaniac whose idea of saving the world was committing massive genocide made him question whether he deserved that victory. After all, most of his important battles were won using the Mega Stones he had received from Lysandre. Since then, he had been waiting to have a rematch with Ash, to determine who was the stronger of the two, and this time challenging him with his own power.

As for Mairin, she didn't need Alain to tell her anything. For a long time they had heard many good things about Ash; supposedly he had established something called the Battle Coliseum in Pallet Town, which also doubled as a Kanto League Gym. Alain wanted to test firsthand how strong he had grown since their last encounter.

"Should we find out where he's staying?" Mairin asked. "You don't want to miss out your chance to get a rematch, do you?"

"We still have a week before we leave," Alain replied with a bit of indifference. "But you're right, I can't lose this chance."

"Then let's not waste any more time! Come on, Chespie!" Mairin exclaimed as her Chespin jumped on her shoulder and she started running off.

Alain sighed and shrugged, but after a moment he smiled. Not only he had gotten used to Mairin's upbeat, but he couldn't imagine his life without it. Seeing her always so active and cheery made everything worth it, and he could always count on her to cheer him up in the toughest of moments.

 _ **To be continued…**_

* * *

 **Author's notes:**

And here we go on with the story. Sorry it took me longer to translate this chapter. Anyway, sticking to the pact, Misty now has her solo date with Ash, and I could think of nothing better than sending them on a diving tour around the reef. Personally, I enjoyed a lot writing the meal scene, with Misty forcing Ash to say "aaaaaaahhh", and making good use of Serena's cooking lessons. That's a start to cover that… flaw of hers, right? For the AmourShippers, don't get desperate; in the next part Serena will have her turn, and I've got everything planned. The scene with the photo, by the way, was inspired by a fanart of my friend in DeviantArt, **Kisarasmoon** , so the credit goes to her for the inspiration, thanks a lot. On the side of the Pokémon, Misty's new Popplio has been born, and Serena catches Oricorio (I chose that form for some electric coverage in her team) and it was a good chance to show how her Contest Battling style has progressed. As for the final scene, yep, you guessed it, I'm planning a rematch between Ash and Alain for the next part. For those who are wondering what happened to Hunter J, I had planned another scene of hers at the end, but I felt this chapter had stretched too much, so I'll show it at the beginning of the next one, so as to not to lose the sequence. Don't worry, she'll make her move in due time.

OK, now that's all for now. Thanks for the reviews to: **Jriya, Epitaxus, SatoshiFan2503, Harmonious Wolf, crazy-fangirling101** and **Johnny Hendo.** See you around.


	5. Explosive rematch! Ash vs Alain

**Crossroads – Between a Mermaid and a Princess.**

 **By Fox McCloude.**

 **Disclaimer:** Pokémon and all related characters belong to Satoshi Tajiri and Nintendo. All rights reserved.

 **Part 5:** Explosive rematch! Ash vs Alain.

* * *

 _ **Melemele Island…**_

"And that's it for this year, ladies and gentlemen! Congratulations to our winners Misty, Ash and Serena! This new record will remain for posterity, let's see if next year it gets broken! Thank you all and until next time!"

After this line, J pushed a button in her remote to rewind the video in her TV set. She wasn't exactly a fan of competitions, but this local triathlon was an exception. She stopped to watch it when she realized that none other than Ash Ketchum was taking part in it, and viewed it up until the end. Afterwards, she waited for a rerun to see it from beginning to end and record it.

"Interesting." Once again, she stopped in the middle stage of the race, the one Ash actively took. She thought it was kind of ironic he was the only one in his team not to place first in his stage. In any case, it wasn't a waste of time to watch this.

The three Pokémon he and his two female friends used for the competition were truly impressive. Gyarados, Tyranitar and Pidgeot. They wouldn't be easy to face. On the other hand, they were formidable specimens, which she could sell for a hefty sum in the black market or keep to herself as trophies. However, it wasn't yet the time to make her move.

It would come in handy to have her spy drones to patrol the city, instead of watching every day the facial recognition program to try and track the movements of the accursed brat. But she couldn't afford them, and even if she did have one, it would be too suspicious. A Pokémon with a camera would make a good substitute, but she didn't have any that wouldn't drag too much attention. So she had to resort to something else. As easy as paying one or two a little amount in exchange for following the moves of "the team who won the Pokémon Triathlon". Nothing too hard, right?

It wasn't the most practical way, but it would make do for the time being, until she could locate him and determine how to attack him where it would hurt the most.

* * *

 _ **Hanohano Hotel…**_

The trio's vacations continued smoothly, and fun had no limits. After that exciting Pokémon Triathlon, they had decided to leave competitions aside for the time being. For Serena, today was an important day, since at long last she would finally have a real date with Ash.

"Serena, are you ready?" Misty asked from outside the bathroom.

"Almost," Serena replied.

The Kalosian girl was in front of the mirror. Aside from dressing up for the occasion, she was cutting her hair. She had made a habit of changing her look every now and then, plus, today was the anniversary of the day she cut it for the first time when she failed her first Pokémon Showcase. A really painful day, but it marked an important turning point in her life and made her realize how hard she had to work to achieve her dreams. As she exited the bathroom, she ran into Misty, who raised her eyebrows upon seeing her with her hair cut short.

"Well, isn't this a surprise?" the redhead said. "What's with the haircut?"

"I usually cut my hair in this date. It's an important anniversary to me," said Serena.

"It suits you nicely." Misty smiled. "So, you ready for your date with Ash?"

"As ready as I'll ever be," Serena replied.

"Everything will be fine, don't worry." Misty winked at her. "Should it come to that, don't be afraid to use what I taught you, alright?"

"I will, thanks," said Serena. "Speaking of that, where's Ash?"

"He must be at the beach training with Kiawe," answered Misty. "By this time they should be finished, though, so you should go see him now."

"Alright, see you later."

Serena left the room, and Misty walked towards the balcony. Looking around everywhere, she got to see a couple of dots in the distance exchanging what seemed like fire and water flashes. It wasn't hard to guess those two were Ash and Kiawe, in the middle of a sparring match with Turtonator and Greninja.

In other circumstances, Misty would be worried about leaving Ash alone with Serena. Not because she distrusted her, since the redhead knew the performer would never do anything to break their pact, but because she was worried that the Kalosian would run into some "competition" while Misty wasn't around, and maybe she'd have troubles to drive them away. That was something she had decided to attack before it would become a problem; her way of thanking about the cookies.

 _ **Flashback, the previous day…**_

" _So you're planning to take him for a picnic?" said Misty, as she watched Serena preparing everything for her date with Ash. The Kalosian had been cooking some macaroni she knew Ash loved a lot._

" _Mallow told me of a place where we can have some alone time. It's sunny and quiet, far from everything and everyone," said Serena._

" _Sounds good," Misty admitted. "Hey, Serena, there's something we need to talk about."_

" _What is it?"_

" _Look, let me put it this way." Misty solemnly placed her hands on her friend's shoulders. "I know you've helped me a lot to drive away any competition, but I'm a little worried that you only do so when we're together. What's going to happen when I'm not around?"_

 _Serena didn't say anything, but the way she looked away was all the answer Misty needed. It was true; she wasn't quite as "territorial" as Misty, and although it was easy to play along when Misty was "drawing her line" with Ash, taking the initiative to do the same thing by herself wasn't as easy._

" _Look, just listen at what I'm about to say. In some aspects, you're better than me: you're sweeter, more feminine and a better cook. But you need a little strength of character to defend what's rightfully yours, and not to let anyone to invade your territory, you get my point?"_

" _Yeah, but… I wouldn't be able to do it the same way as you," said Serena. "That doesn't go with me."_

" _And who's to say you have to do it the same way as me?" the redhead replied. "You can do it your own way too. I'm more of the physical-confrontation-type, but if that's not your style, you can simply intervene and send them a little indirect as politely as you can."_

" _I don't know…"_

" _Aw, come on. Have some confidence." Misty insisted. "And if you don't, at least trust me, because I trust you, and I'm sure Ash will like that. Just because you're a kind and sweet girl it doesn't mean you can't be strong too."_

 _Serena smiled with gratitude. It meant a lot for her that Misty said all that. For moments she would forget they were supposed to be rivals, since the fact they were friends and wanted to help each other remained more on the surface. The competition was as fair as it gets, and at this rate, regardless of the result, both of them could consider themselves winners, for having given a boost to the other._

 **End of flashback.**

"Ah, I don't have to worry about that," the redhead said as she walked towards the refrigerator to eat something. "She'll be fine on her own."

Misty once again walked out to the balcony to look down as Ash continued his training. Serena sometimes just needed a little push, and Misty already had given it. The rest depended on her.

* * *

 _ **Down below at the beach**_ …

After a few rounds between Greninja and Turtonator, the warm-up was over, and they began the real training. For days, Ash and Greninja were trying to perfect the Ice Shuriken. They seem to get a little closer with each try, but they still didn't quite get it right. If it didn't break when they tried to create it, it would break after throwing it, rendering it useless as a long-ranged attack.

"This isn't working," said Ash, talking to Greninja. "What are we doing wrong?"

"Don't be so down," said Kiawe. "Come on, Turtonator and I can still hold a few rounds more, right?"

"Nator!" said the explosive turtle.

"Greninja! Ninja, ninja!" said Greninja all of a sudden, making some strange gestures. Kiawe wondered what he was up to, but Ash seemed to understand without problems.

"You want to do that?" the boy replied. "Well, it's been a while since we did it last. Maybe it's just what we need. Let's do it!"

Kiawe wondered what they meant by "that", but he figured they'd give him the answer soon enough. He noticed how Greninja and Ash adopted similar poses, which somehow reminded him of how Z-Moves were used, except they didn't perform any he would recognize, and all of sudden Greninja began giving off pseudo-electric blue sparks around, while his eyes began to glow.

"Here we go, Greninja! Full power! AAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!"

Inexplicably, some sort of water veil surrounded Greninja, and the electric sparks suddenly became more notorious and powerful. Greninja opened up his arms and adopted a guard stance, and Kiawe noticed Ash had taken a similar one. No, it was more than that: Ash raised his hand over his head, and Greninja did the exact same thing, at the same time.

' _Water Shuriken…'_ Ash mentally commanded. Now their synchronization bond between them was so strong that Ash could actually give him orders mentally, without having to open his mouth to talk.

"Ninja!" In that very instant, water began focusing in a spiraling pattern above Greninja, forming a very large shuriken. Ash and Greninja held that pose for a while, before the trainer would give his next command.

' _Now, Ice Punch…'_

Kiawe, paying attention all the while, saw how Ash moved his other hand sideways and clenched it into a fist, while Greninja did the same move and activated the freezing punch in his own free hand. A few seconds later, they lowered the hand holding the Water Shuriken in the air and raised the icy fist to catch it with it. As expected, the shuriken began to freeze, but unlike their previous attempts, this time it didn't crack; it cleanly solidified. Kiawe and Turtonator saw this as their sign to get ready.

"Turtonator, get ready for a Shell Trap!"

"Nator!" The dragon turtle turned around to set up his defense for the upcoming attack.

Still enveloped in the water veil and giving out sparks, Greninja grabbed the Ice Shuriken with both hands, while Ash imitated his movements. The next thing he did was jumping in the air, and performing a full body spin that Ash also imitated, threw it with full force. Turtonator activated his Shell Trap to defend himself from the attack, but it barely served to cushion the impact. The Ice Shuriken hit him so hard he fell nose first to the floor and had a hard time getting back to his feet. Greninja landed back on the ground and the water veil dissipated. With this, Ash exhaled a sigh in exhaustion, but after catching his breath again, he pumped his fists in triumph and smiled.

"We made it… we finally made it, Greninja!"

"Ninja!" The frog nodded.

"Return, Turtonator." Kiawe recalled his turtle. He had said before they could hold out a little longer, but that impact made him change his mind. "Impressive, Ash. But what was that last thing? I've never seen anything like that before."

"It's called Bond Phenomenon," said Ash. "By synchronizing with each other, Greninja and I can gain some additional power, and in doing so, we can see and feel the same as the other. It's like we become one. Some say it's similar to Mega-Evolution, while others say it might be more powerful."

"Wow. Do you think Turtonator and I can do something like that?" asked Kiawe.

"Maybe if you work hard enough." Serena's voice suddenly spoke up.

The two turned around to find the Kalosian girl had already arrived, pretty much ready for her date. Her clothes were very similar to the one she wore during their first encounter in Kalos, except that this time she didn't wear a hat and had cut her hair. Regardless, she looked very pretty.

"I had wanted to see that again for a while," said Serena. "When was the last time you guys synchronized?"

"Shortly after you left, actually." Ash admitted. "We're a little out of practice, to be honest, but it seems this was what we needed to get the Ice Shuriken right. At long last we made it right; together we found the right timing to freeze it without breaking it."

"I'm glad." Serena smiled. "In any case, I'm ready, shall we go?"

"Claro. Return, Greninja!" Ash recalled his ninja frog. "Let's go, Pikachu!"

"Pika!"

The electric mouse quickly jumped onto his rightful place on his trainer's should. With this, Ash walked his way along with Serena, while Kiawe would continue his training on his own. The Pallet Town trainer couldn't help but notice the sudden change with Pikachu. Before, when Ash went out with Serena or Misty (or both), he preferred to keep his distance, but now he seemed strangely willing to accompany him wherever he went. What could have happened?

* * *

 _ **Around the streets of Melemele, minutes later…**_

Ash felt quite strange to be walking across the streets with Serena clinging to his arm. In part it was because Misty wasn't clinging to the other arm, since their outings so far had been mostly that way, with him between the two of them. At least now there wasn't that inherent risk of the two deciding to go to different places all of a sudden and tried to drag him in opposite directions. Then again, strangely enough and to his great relief, that hadn't happened.

That said, Serena looked quite happy to be able to spend that time alone with her. Looking back now, he couldn't help but feel a little guilty of all those times during his trip around Kalos during which Serena clearly wished she could enjoy their time alone as something other than just friends. How could he be so clueless so as to not to notice the feelings the Kalosian girl clearly harbored for him? With Misty, at least he had an excuse, since she preferred to hide her feelings behind fits of anger and denials as a way to give him indirects, though sometimes these were _very_ direct. But Serena, on the other hand, didn't go with subtleties. He was just that stupid to not to notice that she was in love with him.

For her part, Serena, despite only being smiling in the outside, deep inside she had to hold back the urges and excitement she felt. At long last she could have an actual date with Ash, but respecting her pact with Misty, she couldn't go too far with it. For now this was good enough, spending some quality time with Ash was always she would enjoy greatly, and this time was no exception.

"Ash?" Serena suddenly asked. Ash had stopped walking when they suddenly passed in front of a bridge. A bridge that quickly jogged some memories in the trainer's head.

"That bridge…" said Ash as he recognized it. "It hasn't changed at all in these years."

"Pikachu." The electric mouse nodded, remembering too.

"What is it about that bridge?" asked Serena. "Something important happened in it?"

"That was where I caught one of my Alolan Pokémon," said Ash. "Back at Pallet Town, do you remember my Incineroar?"

"Sure." Serena nodded.

When she stopped by to leave Greninja a few months before, Ash gave her a little tour around Professor Oak's ranch, to get her to meet the rest of his Pokémon. All of them pretty nice, each in its own way, and of course very strong, a clear reflection of their trainer. The Pokémon he spoke about was a large Fire/Dark-type feline, whom he caught in Alola, and even showed her his signature Z-Move, it was quite impressive. Ash then continued with the story.

"This was the place where I caught him," said Ash. "Back then he was just a Litten, and he was pretty small. You'd find it hard to believe he would grow that big."

"I see." Serena nodded. She still remembered, that Incineroar was at least one head taller than Ash, and was at least twice and a half broader in shoulders.

"Seeing this place brought me memories. Some of them happy… others not so much." Ash spoke with a nostalgic tone. Serena stared at him with an interrogating expression, she clearly was dying to know the story behind that. "When I met him, Incineroar… I mean Litten, he lived with a Stoutland who looked after him, but… he was very old."

"Oh…" Serena knew immediately where this story would go.

"When his time was coming, Stoutland was trying to teach Litten to use Fire Fang," Ash continued. "He already knew, and I think that he tried to leave his last wish to me, to continue the training. Unfortunately… he didn't live long enough to see that day."

"That's so sad," said Serena. "But you did a great job. Incineroar came to be really strong thanks to you. I'm sure Stoutland will be happy, wherever he is."

"Thanks, means a lot that you think so," said Ash. "And sorry to bring up depressing memories, I don't want to ruin our date."

"Not at all," said Serena. "Your memories are always important, and it's very sweet of you that you share them with me. No matter whether they're happy or sad."

Ash smiled. Serena hadn't really changed at all, she was just as attentive and sweet as she was years ago. Maybe even more so. Leaving the memories behind, Ash gestured her to move forward, and the two continued their walk around the city.

"So, where are we going?" Ash asked.

"I was thinking, don't you think it's a good time for you to have an image change?" said Serena. "I know we already gave you a haircut, but some new clothes would be nice too."

"Aw, come on," he said. "What's wrong with these?"

"Nothing, but really, you could use some changes every now and then," said Serena. "And I'm sure Misty would like it too. We searched around the city, and I think I already got the perfect place. Let's go!"

And before Ash could protest, Serena dragged him to the center of town. Back in their time, when they traveled together around Kalos, it wasn't unusual to stop by clothing stores so Serena (and to a lesser extent Bonnie), could try some outfits, but he never took part actively, but he never actively took part in it. So it felt quite funny when Serena dragged him to a male clothing store and told him to try out anything he wanted.

Ash wasn't so keen on shopping like this, let alone when it came to clothes. To him, his idea of shopping was finding something his size, buying three and then go home. Instead, he went from one rack to another, trying shirts, jackets, pants and practically everything else in sight. Even though he did find one or two models he liked, most of them he tried only at Serena's suggestion. And how could he say no? She was clearly delighted

"How do I look?" he asked, as he came out wearing a black leather vest, with a white undershirt, dark blue pants and dark brown boots.

"Amazing." Serena smiled. "You could probably complement it with some sunshades."

"I don't know, I kinda look like a guy of those movies from 50 years ago," Ash replied.

"Is that a bad thing?" asked Serena, grabbing a red jacket, and then discarding it. "How about this one?"

Serena held in front of him a dark blue t-shirt with black sleeves and a white streak crossing it from side to side over the shoulders. Ash checked it out and with a nod, he went back into the dresser. Seconds later, he came back out wearing it, and Serena smiled, it looked really good, perfect for his style.

"I think I like this one," said Ash.

"It's perfect." Serena nodded. "All that's left is the final touch."

The girl grabbed a cap with a similar color and placed it on his head. Looking at the mirror, Ash decided to turn it around just for a bit of show, making the Kalosian giggle a bit. After deciding what they would take, Serena paid the bill, both left with bags in their hands. Ash wasn't as loaded as when he had to go on a shopping spree with both girls at once, but he still wondered if he'd ever wear all of this.

"So, where are we going next?" asked Ash. "We've bought enough for me. Come to think of it, you and Misty haven't used the prize you won from Elesa and Valerie yet, have you?"

Misty and Serena had been checking out the city directory for an authorized shop to use their prize. They were surprised to learn there was only one in the island, at the other side of Melemele. Even though they weren't in a hurry to use it, now it was as good of a moment as any to spend it, better sooner than later.

With this in mind, Serena and Ash rented a Tauros-dragged cart to go to the other side with calm. The Kalosian suddenly felt like a princess from a fairy tale, with Ash as her prince, but obviously she couldn't say that out loud. She laughed at herself for how childish that sounded.

"What's so funny?" asked Ash.

"Nothing," she replied.

Ash arched an eyebrow, feeling that it had something to do with him, but he didn't press any further. They both just enjoyed the rest of the ride in silence.

Once they reached their stop, Ash decided to stay outside since it wasn't allowed to enter with bags from other stores. Serena promised not to take too long, probably she wouldn't take more than five or six outfits in this trip. She'd have plenty of time to come with Misty for more another day.

While he waited, Ash didn't notice someone was looking at him. At the other side of the block, a mysterious woman watched him closely, like debating whether she should approach him or not. Finally, she seemed to make a decision.

"Excuse me, are you alone?" she suddenly said.

Ash turned around as he heard that. The woman in front of him looked at least three or four years older by his estimation. She had black hair, slightly tanned skin and wore red lipstick. She wore sunshades, and for some reason Ash felt nervous that she was invading his personal space.

"Huh? Are you talking to me?"

"Do you see anyone else?" the woman replied in a slightly flirtatious tone, removing her shades to reveal a pair of red pupils. "Why is such a handsome boy like you so lonely around here? Or are you waiting for someone?"

"Er… actually I am," Ash replied with full honesty. He was waiting for Serena and he had just stayed outside to watch out for the bags of their previous shopping.

"Oh? Well, too bad. I'd dare say I would never leave someone like you alone."

Meanwhile, inside the shop, Serena had already finished trying out several models of the collection, and was already at the cash register, using the certificate to pay for them, but upon looking through the glass window she noticed a woman had approached Ash, and judging by her expression she seemed to have 'that' intent with him. Recalling what Misty told her, she asked the cashier to hurry up a bit, so she could exit the shop and get it to practice.

"Sorry to make you wait, Ash." She spoke in a loud voice to make herself noticed. It didn't escape Serena that Ash's eyes seemed to be relieved, like someone who had just been rescued. "I'm ready, we can go now."

"Excuse me, but… mind if I ask who might you be?" the black-haired woman asked.

Serena stared at her. The woman clearly surpassed her in height and clearly had a certain "mature" charm, which someone like her, who was more the "youthful" type would find hard to compete with. But recalling Misty's words, about being more self-confident, the Kalosian took a firm stance, never losing her polite tone.

"I'm his friend, and he's with me," she said as she grabbed Ash's arm. A subtle gesture, but clear and noticeable. "So, if you're so kind to step aside, we're taking our leave. Excuse us."

The woman seemed to want to say something, but she stepped aside to let them through. Serena smiled as she started walking away with Ash, on her way for their actual date. At long last they could be alone, just the two of them without anyone to bother them. Just like she had always dreamed of.

Once they were out of sight, the woman who oh-so shamelessly tried to flirt with Ash pulled out of her pocket a cellphone, and called a number in quick dial.

"Yes?" An ice-cold female voice answered at the other side of the line.

"It's me. I already placed the tracker on the boy as you requested."

"Are you sure he didn't notice?" the voice replied. "Woe to you if he finds out."

"He was too distracted, and I think his little friend will keep his attention too busy for him to notice," the woman said. "Even so, why do you want to track him?"

"That's none of your business. In any case, well done. I'll transfer your pay to your account immediately."

With this, she ended the call and verified. Effectively, the funds in her bank account started raising. That had been the strangest deal ever. 50,000 for just placing a tracker on that boy? The woman who paid her only said: "Do what you must, invite him for dinner, the movies or anything. Just get that tracker on him without him noticing and don't ask any questions". The easiest money she had earned in her entire life. Too bad that other girl appeared to take him away; he definitely was her type. But what was the interest of that woman in him? She looked a bit too old to want him for a date. And if she wanted to keep an eye on him in secret… maybe she was up to no good.

* * *

 _ **Later…**_

Despite going around the entire shopping boulevard, Ash didn't feel bored at all. Even if going on shopping sprees with Serena was rather quiet compared to when the three of them came together, and those times were even fun to an extent, except for the fact of being dragged around. Lucky for him they always agreed on pulling on him in the same direction.

If the individual date with Misty was more to get some exercise and move around, with Serena it was more about relaxing and have some peace and quiet. That was good for him, it was a good change of pace, especially after spending the morning training with Kiawe to perfect the Ice Shuriken. Once upon time, Ash would have pushed himself to his training, but he hadn't forgotten that he was on vacation and he deserved some rest and relaxation.

The place Serena had chosen was perfect: it was quiet, far away from the noise of the city, with an excellent view of the sea, and a pleasant tropical breeze blowing around the entire place. A perfect place to get some rest. So much that Pikachu himself had decided to just lie down under the sun and apparently had fallen asleep. Ash actually noticed he actually seemed tired, what had he been doing with Sophocles' Togedemaru all that morning?

"Hope you like these macaroni." Serena pulled out the food. "I decided to try a new recipe with Alolan spices."

"I'm sure they're delicious," said Ash.

Aside from the aforementioned macaroni, Serena had brought a few sandwiches and for dessert, some puffs. The Kalosian had made a huge effort to make them as best as possible, and she intended to share some of these with Misty later, like she had done with the cookies. However, at least for now she would keep some of her best dishes to herself. She was planning to prepare a huge cake with Alolan fruits and berries for the next time.

"Enjoy it," said Serena, splitting the sandwiches in half with him.

"Let's dig in!" Ash chomped two very thick sandwiches in a single bite.

Some might call Ash a real glutton considering how much he ate, but Serena actually found it very funny. That was part of his charm, and like any other girl, how couldn't she be happy to see the boy she loved enjoying the food she had prepared with so much hard work and love? Incidentally, she intentionally made his ration a little bigger so he would end up fully sated.

After the sandwiches, the two began enjoying their macaroni. As expected, they were delicious, although their taste was slightly different thanks to the spices. Even Serena herself noticed the difference.

"Not too bad, although I think I'll stick to my old recipe," said Serena as she finished eating hers.

"Why is that?" Ash asked.

"It'll be hard to get Alolan spices once I return to Kalos, and these were rather expensive and hard to find," Serena confessed.

"Well, that's too bad, I like these too," said Ash.

Serena smiled and glanced at the sea, feeling the breeze in her face. The Kalosian girl became thoughtful; there were so many things she wanted to ask Ash about, but she had to keep them for the time being, out of respect for the pact she made with Misty. However, there were one or two that wouldn't break that promise they made. After all, spending some time with him didn't mean they couldn't chat as the close friends they were, right?

"Hey, Ash," she said. "What are your plans after these vacations?"

"My plans? Well, I need to return to Pallet Town and get the Coliseum back up running, obviously. I'm thinking of starting to use Greninja and Mega-Evolutions in my battles. Not to mention that I don't often use my Z-Moves. I think it's time to up my game."

"Must be pretty hard, having to work at that Coliseum," said Serena. "Anything else, like a future competition?"

"Actually…" Ash became thoughtful for a while. "Brandon told me there's going to be an Intercontinental Champion Tournament, where the best trainers in the world will take part. For us of the Frontier there's only one slot available, so we have to compete amongst ourselves to choose who'll represent us."

"Wow, sounds impressive," said Serena. "I'd die to see one of those battles live."

"If I can, I'll try to get you a seat," Ash offered. "For Misty too, and the rest of my friends, of course. It won't be easy, but I think I can manage. Though I'll need to win that slot competing with the rest of the Brains first."

"I wouldn't be worried about that," said Serena. "I know you can do it."

Ash smiled. One of the things he always liked about Serena, aside from her cooking and her sweet and kind character, was that she always believed in him and his abilities as a trainer. Misty did so as well, in her own way, but Serena was a lot more open to express it. Maybe that was why they never had any fights whatsoever, save for the time he became depressed after that defeat against Wulfric, and she threw him those snowballs for acting like that. For not being himself, for not behaving like the Ash she admired. Sometimes he wondered, how would have Misty acted in that occasion? Knowing her, she'd probably would have grabbed him to slap him in the face or violently strangle him. That thought made him cringe a little.

"We're out of macaroni," Serena observed. "Ready for the dessert?"

"Always," he said.

Serena opened the box with the varied puffs she had baked that morning. She took the chance to use several molds to give them different shapes and decorate them in varied ways (including Pokéballs, stars and even some Pokémon faces), and like the sandwiches, she was careful to bake a good amount of them to leave Ash sated. Of course, she did grab a few she liked for herself before Ash would take them.

In matter of minutes, the box had been left completely empty, except for one chocolate heart-shaped puff decorated with red cherry cream on top. The two directed their hands at the same time to grab it, and their fingers made contact at the same time. Involuntarily, the two of them looked into each other's eyes.

Once upon a time, and if it was someone else (perhaps even Misty, or ESPECIALLY her), Ash would have simply snatched it for himself without regrets, with all consequences. But with Serena… he couldn't do that. He couldn't take it like that, not after she had done such a hard work into making them for him with love.

For her part, Serena didn't dare make any move herself, but in her case, it was more because she wanted to enjoy the moment. She didn't want to break that contact with Ash's hand. A hand that was strong, but also warm, a hand she had wanted to hold with her own for many years. The two remained like that for a while, until at long last, Ash's mature and rational side kicked in and made him act.

"Er… you can have it, I've had enough," the black-haired boy removed his hand, blushing slightly.

Serena took the puff. She wasn't sure why she baked it with the shape of a heart, neither why it ended up at the bottom of the box, right at the end. Could it be a sign? The performer-coordinator thought for a bit before deciding what to do, and smiling she broke it to give one half to Ash and keep the other.

"We can always share it, can't we?" she said.

Ash smiled and finally accepted. The two began eating it with no hurry, with small bites (something very unusual for someone like Ash). It was weird, they felt like this one was the sweetest out of all the puffs they had eaten until then. In that case, it was best to enjoy it for as long as possible.

* * *

 _ **Mallow's restaurant…**_

Once again during the break, Misty had decided to borrow the kitchen. This time, however, she had decided to take some cooking lessons with Mallow to learn to do something else thank baking. Serena's cookies had been a good start, but the redhead was determined to expand her culinary arsenal, to earn Ash's heart through his stomach (and not to kill him in the process).

"Very well, now just add a few more spices…"

 _ ***POOOOOOOOFFF!***_

A second later, the kitchen was filled in black smoke, and both girls began coughing. The pot containing what looked like a stew, or its remains, was the source of the explosion, and when it finally dissipated, the two girls were covered in soot, coughing extremely hard.

"I think I went a little overboard," Misty said as she scratched the back of her head.

"Don't worry, I did worse on my first try," Mallow assured her.

Misty had no idea if she only said it to make her feel better, but she appreciated it anyway. But there was no time to ask, since the entrance bell rang, indicating there were customers. There wasn't too much movement today, but Misty had agreed to help as a waitress in exchange for Mallow letting her use the kitchen.

"Good afternoon? Is anyone here?" a voice called out from outside.

"Hold on!" answered Mallow, trying to clean herself a little.

Seeing they were taking so long, the redhead simply removed her apron and took a spare one to get out, and went directly to attend the customers. Mallow accepted, while she finished cleaning up the mess a bit. Misty walked out and saw the newly arrived were a young man with dark hair and clothes, quite tall, and a girl with dark red hair, extremely short of height, especially compared to her companion.

"Welcome," Misty greeted them. "Sorry for the mess, but we'll be ready to serve in about half an hour."

"Half an hour? But we're hungry!" the girl protested, and the boy gave her a little slap behind her head. "Hey!"

"Mairin, behave yourself," he said. "Sorry, can we wait here until then. We've been walking around town for quite a while and we're tired."

"Sure, take a seat," said Misty. "Do you want something in the meantime, some water perhaps?"

"Sounds good," the boy said. Misty was about to leave but then she noticed the boy stared at her curiously and stopped, just in time for him to ask. "Hey, excuse me, aren't you by any chance one of the team who won the Pokémon Triathlon a few days ago?"

"Yeah, it's her!" said the short girl, whose name was apparently Mairin, according to the boy. "Are you friends with Ash and Serena?"

"You know them?" Misty asked a little surprised. "Wait for a bit, I'll bring you the water and be right back."

While Misty went to get a water jar and a couple of glasses, she glanced at the two newly arrived. Ash having friends in Alola and then meeting them right now didn't seem that surprising. But these two didn't look like natives; in fact, their appearance looked more like that of the Kalosians, especially the girl who had a complexion very similar to Serena. Upon bringing the water and serving it, Misty sat next to them, and the boy proceeded to introduce himself.

"Forgive my manners. My name's Alain, and she's Mairin."

"I'm Misty, pleased to meet you guys."

"We're lucky, aren't we, Alain?" Mairin said in excitement. "We've been for days looking all over for them, but we had no clue where to find them."

"I figure that if you guys know Ash and Serena, there must be some story behind it?" asked Misty. "Are you here on vacation too?"

"Not really, we're here on an errand from Professor Sycamore, we're doing some research," said Alain, causing Mairin to puff up her cheeks. "But a few days ago we saw you guys on TV when you won the Triathlon, and we've been trying to locate you since then."

"Well, that solves a problem at least," said Misty. "But tell me, where do you know Ash and Serena from?"

"That was… years ago, when I competed in the Kalos League," said Alain. "Never in my life did I have such an exciting battle. And even though I won, I feel that out of us two he was the better trainer. For years I've been waiting for a rematch with him."

Mairin rolled her eyes at this, like it wasn't the first time he said it. Misty actually took notice of this; it sounded like this Alain guy had a lot in common with Ash. It wouldn't surprise her if they became good friends even if they were rivals.

"Misty, the kitchen's back up running, let's get to prepare the food!" Mallow called out to her.

"Alright!" Misty replied, focusing back on Alain and Mairin, handing them the menus. "What are you going to order?"

"I heard the stew they serve in this place is the best in all the island," said Mairin. "I'll have that."

"I'm having this roast beef, with everything additional," Alain pointed while Misty wrote everything down.

"Coming up," she said. "Mallow, let's get cooking!"

The redhead went back to the kitchen to deliver the orders, while the green-haired girl began cooking immediately. Since her cooking practices didn't go so well, Misty limited herself to hand her the ingredients while Mallow poured them in the pot. In any case, she couldn't be focused on cooking. She had plenty of questions for Alain and Mairin, and if it was true what they said, surely enough Ash would be more than happy to accept that rematch as soon as possible.

* * *

 _ **Later at the hotel…**_

After lunch, Misty stayed to talk with Alain and Mairin at the restaurant, suggesting them that if they wanted to meet up with Ash and Serena, they should accompany her back to the hotel. They wouldn't take long to return, although it goes without saying that Mairin was surprised to hear from Misty they were on a _date_. Misty decided to stay with them at the hotel reception as they awaited for their friends, since Alain had also many questions about what Ash had done in the past few years. He had heard about his famous Battle Coliseum, but he didn't know the full details about it, so Misty was more than willing to fill him in.

"Incredible," said Alain. "If someday I travel to Kanto, I'll have to try that Battle Frontier."

"I have to warn you, it's much harder than any regional Gym. Even mine, as much as it pains me to admit it," said Misty.

"Alain can take on any challenge, you'll see," said Mairin. "Maybe I should try the Kanto Gyms too."

"The doors at Cerulean are always open," said Misty. Right then, the hotel's doors opened up, and the couple they were waiting for entered, both of them very close to each other and holding arms. "Ah, look at that, they're here."

"Serena, Ash!" Mairin stood up and ran off to greet them.

"Mairin, don't run like that!" Alain called her, but it was too late; she didn't see they were cleaning up and she slipped on the wet floor, almost falling on her rear. Fortunately, Chespie reacted in time and grabbed her with his Vine Whips. Alain sighed and facepalmed.

"Mairin?" said Serena upon recognizing her. "If you're here, then that means…"

"Alain!" Ash quickly recognized the Kalosian young man, and quickly separated from Serena to greet him.

"Hey, Ash, long time." Alain extended his hand.

"Good to see you, what are you doing around Alola?" Ash replied with a friendly handshake. Alain looked at Ash's wrist and noticed what he wore on it.

"I see you got your own Key Stone too." He showed his own with pride. "Would you like to try it against me?"

"That would be great, but you still haven't answered my question," said Ash. "Are you on vacation too?"

"Mairin wishes we were," the Kalosian replied as he let go of his friend's hand. "Actually, we came here to investigate something on behalf of Professor Sycamore, but…"

"We saw you on TV when you won that triathlon," Mairin intervened. "Since then, we've been looking all over the city for you guys, since we need to return to Kalos in a few days."

"They were lucky they visited Mallow's restaurant while I was there," said Misty. "Who would have guessed, the world is a small place after all."

"Well, good thing you did, I'm very happy to see you guys," Serena added happily.

"So am I." Mairin smiled. "And I found out you became the first Kanto Queen in Pokémon Showcases, congratulations."

"Thanks, it was incredible to participate there too."

"Well, well, since we don't need any more introductions, would you like to come with us for a bit, Mairin? I'm sure Ash and Alain have plenty of things to talk about. Guys' stuff, you know," said Misty.

"I agree," said Serena. "Shall we go to the hotel's café? We can treat you something.

"Sounds great," Mairin replied. "Catch you later, Alain!"

The three girls left, leaving Ash and Alain alone. Indeed, both trainers and former rivals had many things to talk about. Alain stared at the girls for a bit, his little chat with Misty had been quite enjoyable. Ash definitely had… interesting friends.

"So, what's that errand you're running for Professor Sycamore?" asked Ash, pulling him out of his thoughts.

"Ah, well actually, we wanted to learn about Z-Moves," said Alain. "Professor Sycamore is interested in knowing if they're somehow related to Mega Evolution, and since they originated here, we figured it would be the best place to start."

"I see, that makes sense." Ash nodded. Alain then noticed something else, Ash's also wore a similar bracelet in his left wrist, but different from the Mega Ring.

"Speaking of, isn't that one of the famous Z-Crystals," he asked. "The ones that allow you to perform those moves?"

"Yeah, it is." Ash showed him the yellow crystal.

"Interesting, I'd like one of those for me. What I'm interested in knowing is how they work, and analyze them for a bit to send the data to Professor Sycamore. Do you think you could help me with that?"

"I can do better than that." Ash held his Xtransceiver. "As it turns out, I have some friends here in Alola who know a lot more about Z-Moves than me, and I'm sure they'll be more than happy to help with your research."

"Well, be my guest, the more the merrier," Alain said.

Checking out the hour, Ash determined they probably weren't in class hours at the time, so he could call the Trainer School without interrupting. Alain, meanwhile, felt like he was exploding in excitement inside. He could finally see Ash again, and he would soon have the chance to get a rematch with him. He was anxious to see how strong he had grown since the last time they met.

* * *

 _ **The next day, at the beach…**_

Ash's Alolan friends were more than happy to do that favor and help Alain with his research. It wasn't too complicated anyway: all they had to do was showing him a few different Z-Moves, and it was an advantage that several of them had gone through their Grand Trials and gotten their own Z-Rings, so all they needed was an ample isolated place where nobody would bother them and where they wouldn't cause any destruction by unleashing the moves' power.

Up to that point, everything good. What Alain didn't get was, why of all places they chose a beach? An extremely hot beach, to the point everyone decided to just go in swimwear to have some fun, and Mairin forced him to do the same. Alain didn't feel comfortable wearing only a pair of swimming trunks, but the short girl was more than pleased to see her companion's well-toned physique, now that she had a rare chance to do so. On the other hand, she seemed to feel a little embarrassed upon seeing the shapely bodies of the other girls (Lana was the only one who was flatter than her in the rack department).

At least, Alain had his attention focused instead of looking at… things he shouldn't, so he kept his thoughts on the reason he came here in the first place. Everyone had sat around to watch the show, and while Mairin was very close to him, Alain made an effort to keep his eyes in the research.

"Here we go," the first to step forward was Lana, along with her Primarina. The girl's Z-Ring had a light blue Z-Crystal, and she prepared to execute it.

"This is going to be interesting, don't you think?" Mairin asked.

"We'll see," he replied.

Lana concentrated, and the Crystal on her Z-Ring began glowing in power. The bluenette executed a few moves that looked like some kind of dance, which her Primarina also imitated in unison with her, concluding with both of them opening their arms and Lana shouting skywards:.

"OCEANIC OPERETTA!"

Primarina performed what seemed like a chant while an aura of energized water surrounded her, and then focused above her to form a giant water bubble. Moving her arms forward, she pushed it towards the sea, causing a huge splash when it exploded. Alain's eyes widened at the sight of such power, while Mairin clapped in excitement.

"Bravo! That was amazing!"

"Thanks," said Lana.

"Impressive," said Alain, watching the energy readings registered in his scanning device. "The power gauging graphics are off the scale. So this is the real power of the Z-Moves."

"Alright, now it's my turn." Mallow stepped forward. "Let's go, Tsareena!"

The green-haired girl brought out her flower Pokémon, as she fitted her own Z-Ring, with a green crystal. Just like Lana, she executed several moves and poses for her Pokémon to imitate, although these were different, just like the energy they generated took a different form.

"BLOOM DOOM!"

Specifically, it formed a giant, yellow-green flower bud, which then exploded in a huge rain of multicolored petals. The girls in particular were enthralled by this one.

"Wow, it's beautiful…" Serena commented, imagining herself doing something like this with her own Roselia in one of their showcases.

"Did you see that, Chespie?" said Mairin, talking to her Chespin. "Wouldn't you like to do something like that?"

"Ches, chespin!" The Grass-type starter nodded.

Alain, meanwhile, continued checking the graphics in his scanner, comparing them to the previous one. These were a bit more spread, although they had an overall power level similar to the previous move. It was pretty powerful too. The two Alolan girls approached him slowly.

"So? Was it useful to you?" Mallow asked.

"Yeah, of course, a lot," said Alain. "Comparing the power readings, the Oceanic Operetta seems to be more focused, making it stronger in the impact zone. The Bloom Doom is more widespread and not as powerful, but it covers a bigger area and balances out by better distributing the power in its range. Why is this?"

Lana and Mallow stared at each other, unsure as to what could be the answer of that. Fortunately for them, Sophocles and Lillie came up to their aid.

"I can answer that," the blonde said. "The Z-Moves each one used work in a different way. That's due to the crystals each one has."

"How does that work?" Alain asked.

"There are Z-Moves associated to a specific elemental type, which can be used by any Pokémon as long as they have a move that can be powered-up with the crystal's energy," Sophocles explained. "But there are other which are specific to Pokémon species. For instance, Bloom Doom is the Grass-associate move, so any Grass-type Pokémon could use it. But in the case of Oceanic Operetta, this has to be powered from Primarina's signature move, Sparkling Aria."

Alain nodded and took note of this. So the Z-Moves would work differently depending on type and species affinity. Very interesting.

"Well, now it's our turn," added Kiawe. "Come now, Turtonator!"

Bringing out his dragon turtle, Kiawe took his stance and began executing his Z-Move. Following the same pattern, the poses the red-haired young man made were different from the other two, and the aura generated by the energy around them was of a bright fiery red color. In front of Turtonator's mouth a large fire sphere concentrated, growing bigger and bigger. This one, Alain stared with a lot more interest the move about to execute.

"INFERNO OVERDRIVE!"

The dragon turtle fired off his attack and upon impact it created a massive fire column that seemed to rise up into the skies. Alain watched in awe, his eyes widening at the incredible power. It was… spectacular. His Charizard's ultimate Fire-type move, Blast Burn, was like a small flare next to this kind of power. The name "Inferno Overdrive" was not just for show. Alain smiled, wishing in the inside having that kind of power for himself.

"Awesome…" he whispered, for the first time not paying attention to his scanner's graphics. He was so absorbed on what he had just witnessed he didn't even realize Kiawe was approaching him.

"Hey, shouldn't you be looking at what that little gadget of yours says?" he said, bringing him back from his trance.

"Eh? Ah, yeah, sure." Alain immediately checked out the power readings. Just like with Mallow and Tsareena they were more disperse, although in raw power they surpassed the ones from Lana and Primarina. "What kind of move was this?"

"It's the signature Fire-type move," said Kiawe.

"Does that mean my Charizard and I could theoretically do it too?" Alain asked with curiosity. That was what he was the most interested in at the moment.

"If you had your own Z-Ring, yeah, you could," the Alolan redhead replied. "But not just anyone can have them, you have to pass the trials… although Ash was practically handed his own." He said the last part in a low voice, but Ash still heard him.

"Are you still lingering on that?" the boy from Pallet said. "Alain, now let us show you our Z-Move. Ready, Pikachu?"

"Pika!" Pikachu nodded and went to get in position along with his trainer. Time to show their own.

Aside from Alain, Serena and Misty watched carefully too. None of them had had the chance to see him perform a Z-Move in person. They had seen them in some videos of his greatest battles, but due to the effort they required he usually saved them as a last resort.

"CATASTROPIKA!" Ash shouted.

"Pika!" After executing the poses (which looked ridiculous in Misty's opinion) and charging up the power, Pikachu leapt in the air and began spinning while the electricity around him changed from yellow to blue thanks to the power boost. With this, he charged against the ground, zigzagging at an amazing speed and leaving an electric blue trail all over the place. Finally, after around one minute and a half, Pikachu stopped next to his trainer and dropped himself sitting when he couldn't run anymore.

"Well done, Pikachu. You improved your time, this time you held out ten more seconds," Ash congratulated him.

"Pika pika!" The rodent gave a V-Sign in gratitude.

"I think this should be enough," said Alain as he stood up. "It would be much better if we could analyze and see each Z-Move in existence, but I don't think we have enough time for that. In any case, this will help us a lot, so thank you very much."

"You're welcome, anything for a friend of Ash," said Mallow.

"Well, if we're done with the research, who wants to have some fun?" said Mairin, grabbing they volleyball. "Anyone's up for a match?"

"Mairin…" Alain squinted his eyes.

"What? Aw, come on," she said. "All work and no play will turn you into a grumpy old man one day. Or maybe… why don't you ask Ash for that rematch now that you have the chance?"

Ash and Alain set their sights on each other. Of course, the Kalosian had been so distracted with the Z-Moves display, he had almost forgotten the other reason why he had come looking for him. He had been waiting a rematch with Ash for years, and the Pallet Town trainer quickly seemed pleased with the idea, judging by the look in his own eyes.

"If Ash agrees," said Alain. "The Z-Move requires a lot of effort, doesn't it? You sure you're fine for a battle with me?"

"I'm always well for a battle," Ash replied.

The aura of the incoming battle became so palpable nobody had to be told to clear the way for them. The two trainers went towards their backpacks to grab the Pokéballs they would use (Serena and Mairin knew perfectly which ones they would choose), and Alain adjusted his Mega-Ring, ready to challenge Ash with his own strength, like he wanted to do so before. The two trainers placed themselves in opposite sides, planning to use the whole beach as their battlefield.

"This is going to be exciting. Come on, Alain, you can do it!" Mairin cheered. Upon seeing this, Misty decided to respond in kind.

"Don't let him beat you, Ash!" she yelled. "Serena, help me here!"

"Sure. Show him what you're made of, Ash!" Serena added.

Ash and Alain smirked at their female friends cheering them on for their battle. With this, they looked forwards and looked into each other's eyes. The moment of truth had arrived.

"Charizard, go!"

"Greninja, I choose you!"

Alain's Charizard appeared on the field, roaring ready for the battle. Both he and his master were surprised to see Greninja coming out not in his base form, but in his Ash-Greninja form. But rather than making questions, they decided to take it as a prelude to an encounter promising to be very exciting.

"Charizard, begin with Flamethrower!"

"Char!" Charizard opened his maw and unleashed a powerful fire stream at the ninja frog.

"Double Team, now!" Ash called.

"Ninja!"

Instantly, Greninja multiplied himself all over the place, and Charizard's Flamethrower hit one of the clones, while the real one ran and jumped in between them to try and confuse him before attacking.

"Water Shuriken!"

Greninja grabbed the shuriken on his back, and waited for another to get generated to grab it with the other hand. Still taking advantage of the cover offered by the Double Team clones, he threw one up front, and then side stepped to try and hurl the other at Charizard by his blind spot.

"Stop it with Dragon Claw!" Alain ordered.

The fire lizard extended his sharp claws, coating them in a bright green energy, and cut down the shuriken coming from the front, but he was unable to react in time to protect himself from the one coming from the back.

' _He's moving faster than the last time,'_ Alain thought. This was getting exciting. "Charizard, use Blast Burn around the area, dispel the clones!"

"CHAR!" Roaring with fury, Charizard stomped hard on the ground causing an earthquake and bringing a flaming explosion with an extremely wide effect area. Everyone present was amazed at this; it wasn't a Z-Move, but its power was nothing to sneeze at.

The Blast Burn dispelled the clones and managed to identify the real Greninja. Just as soon as they saw him, Alain ordered Charizard to charge with Thunder Punch. In these years Charizard had learned to fly pretty fast, and taking advantage of Greninja's surprise at having being stopped by the fiery explosion, he managed to land the hit. Greninja flew backwards, but managed to spin in the air and land kneeled down, barely dazed at the attack.

"Night Slash!" Ash called.

"Greninja! "

Greninja created two shadow energy blades and holding them in reverse grip rushed to face Charizard head on in melee combat. Alain replied calling for Dragon Claw, and both of them clashed their sharp weapons one against the other, never holding back. One would think that in close quarters combat, Charizard would have the advantage in size and muscle mass, but Greninja took the hits and managed to get a few counters in. Trying to submit him, Charizard channeled the power of one of his claws, turning it off to power up the other one, ready to deliver an overhead slash at Greninja. The frog protected himself crossing both blades above his head, but Charizard was starting to dominate him.

"Greninja, Aerial Ace," Ash ordered.

When Greninja was about to give in, his foot began glowing in white, and stepping back from Charizard upon seeing he couldn't compete with the strength of his attack, vanished for a moment, reappearing on a side to deliver a kick direct to the jaw. Greninja took his distance to prepare his counterattack.

"Now, Greninja, multiple Water Shurikens!"

"Ninja, ninja, ninja, ninja!"

This time, instead of throwing giant shurikens, Greninja began throwing them small in rapid succession at Charizard, from multiple directions. By themselves these wouldn't be too much of a hassle, but in such amount they definitely posed a problem.

"Fly, Charizard, take your distance too!" Alain exclaimed.

Seeing themselves cornered, the best they could do was get away and take some impulse for another attack. Ash's Greninja wasn't only faster and stronger; he seemed to have mastered both long-ranged and melee combat. The match had just begun and Alain was already burning in excitement inside.

"Steel Wing!" he shouted once he was at a good distance.

Charizard's wings became covered in metallic energy, and then he charged forward. Ash and Greninja responded throwing another wave of Water Shurikens, but Charizard maneuvered between them like an ace pilot, and came at them going faster and faster.

"Escape, Greninja, Double Team!" Ash ordered. Greninja barely managed to avoid the metallic wing slap from Charizard at the last second, and he summoned his clones to slip away, but Alain wouldn't fall for the same trick twice.

"Flamethrower at full power, Charizard, fire upon all those clones!" shouted Alain.

"Char!"

The flying lizard once again started breathing a fiery stream, this time much wider and more powerful at the clones. It didn't take long before all of them were consumed except for just a few which the real one attempted to use for hiding. But something gave him away: his shadow on the ground. That was all that took to identify him.

"Attack the one in the middle, Thunder Punch!" Alain exclaimed.

With this, Charizard enveloped his right claw in electric energy and flew as fast as he could to attack Greninja. He managed to land it and he and Alain smiled in triumph for a while… until they noticed what they had struck wasn't Greninja, but some kind of rag doll lookalike of him, which vanished upon hitting the ground. And the shock wasn't over when the real one reappeared from behind and hurled a large Water Shuriken with such power that sent him flying several feet.

"Hey, hey, what was that?" asked Mairin.

"I think he used the move Substitute," said Lillie. "The strange part is that he did it without Ash telling him."

"He learned that trick at the Kalos Ninja Village," Serena explained. "Before we left for Kanto, I figured it would be a good idea to take him there for a while to train."

Charizard got back on his feet, a bit bruised in the ego but still combative. Alain smirked at the excitement rushing through him. This Greninja was as strong as or even stronger than the one he faced in the Kalos League, but he had the feeling he wasn't using his full power yet. The time had come to bring out all the power they had. To fight Ash and Greninja with everything they had, and this time, with their own real strength.

"It's time, Charizard!" exclaimed Alain as he raised his Mega-Ring. "Time to show them everything we have! Respond to my heart and surpass the evolution! MEGA EVOLUTION!"

"CHAAAAAAAAAAR!" Charizard roared furiously, while the Charizardite X in his chest reacted to Alain's Key Stone. The energy rays from both stones linked up with each other, and the power engulfed him completely.

Increasing slightly in size, Charizard's orange skin turned black, and his flames changed from red-orange to blue, with some of them constantly protruding from his jaws like fire tusks. In an explosion of power, the ordinary Charizard had turned into Mega-Charizard X. Some of the people present had never seen one of these, as they had only heard of Mega-Evolution in passing.

"So that's Charizard's Mega-Evolution?" asked Misty.

"One of two," said Mairin. "There are two kinds of Charizardite. Alain has a Type-X one, but there's also Type-Y, each one with different effects."

Misty nodded. She knew that Ash's Charizard had also gotten his own Mega Stone, but it looked a different color to that of Alain's. Come to think about it, she had never seen him use it yet, she'd have to ask him for it sometime. But there would be plenty of time later, for now, she had to focus on the battle.

"I've been waiting a long time to fight with you again, Ash," said Alain. "This time I have my own Mega Stone. At long last I can fight you with my own strength."

"Well, we're going to give it all too," said Ash. "Let's go, Greninja!"

"Ninja!"

"Let's go, Charizard!" shouted Alain, thrusting his fist forward.

"Char!"

Mega-Charizard shot forward, in a burst of speed clearly superior to his base form, almost matching Greninja and raising a lot of dust as well as leaving a trail of fire behind. Alain called for Dragon Claw, and Ash countered in the same fashion with Night Slash. Once again both Pokémon locked themselves in close combat, but this time Charizard began gaining the upper hand. His sharp draconian claws ended up breaking Greninja's swords, leaving him wide open for a devastating blow.

"Thunder Punch!" shouted Alain. Charizard electrified his punch and delivered a blow right to the ninja frog's stomach, sending him fly even further this time.

"Greninja, Water Shuriken!" Ash shouted. Greninja managed to right himself in the air and threw two large shurikens one after the other.

"Flamethrower!" Alain replied.

"Chaaaaaar!"

Charizard's Flamethrower impacted against the shurikens, causing a huge explosion of steam, preventing both of them what happened for a few moments. Once the vision became clear, Charizard charged again with a Thunder Punch.

"Greninja, dodge with Aerial Ace and use Ice Punch!" Ash called.

"Gre, NINJA!"

Right when Charizard was about to deliver a right electrified cross, Greninja used Aerial Ace to jump backwards and dodge, pulling back his own webbed hand in frozen energy to deliver his own counter punch. Even though the punch briefly stunned Charizard, he took advantage of the spin to deliver a tail strike direct to Greninja's feet and make him fall to the ground.

"Blast Burn!" shouted Alain.

With another powerful roar, Charizard once again summoned the fire explosion, taking advantage of Greninja being on the ground to maximize damage, and the eruptions sent the frog blasting through the air, until he fell backwards before Ash's feet.

"Greninja! You alright?" asked Ash worried for his Pokémon.

"Nin… ¡Ninja!" Greninja remained on the ground for a moment, but then opened his eyes wide and got back up in a leap. He was ready to continue. And then, he gave a look Ash immediately knew what he meant.

"You want to do it now?" Ash asked, pumping his fist. "Alright, let's do it!"

Alain smiled as he knew what came next, and meanwhile, the rest of the spectators watched in anticipation, looking forward of what was about to happen. Those who didn't know were intrigued, while those who knew were trying to contain their excitement.

"Finally… the best part will start. Now is when Ash and Greninja will go full out," said Serena.

"Is it that synchronization you told me about?" asked Misty.

"That's right," the Kalosian girl replied. "Wait and see what they're capable of when they become one."

Misty once again set her sights on the battlefield, first in Ash and then Greninja. The two started moving in unison, imitating each other's moves in perfect synch, while the frog's eyes began glowing.

"Here we go, Greninja! FULL POWER! ¡AAAAAAAAAAHHHH!"

"Gre… nin… JAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

Screaming at the top of his lungs, a water veil surrounded Greninja. It was energized water, giving off pseudo-electric blue sparks. The eyes of everyone who saw this for the first time widened at this, but not as much as Misty's, who (finally) had the chance to see Greninja's 100% power, that power he could only achieve with Ash. Alain, meanwhile, had memories of his journey through Kalos and his encounters with Ash upon seeing this. He recalled his first battle with Ash that time, the water veil transformation was still imperfect. This one was somewhat similar, but the sparks it gave off gave it a more imposing and powerful appearance.

"Charizard, Steel Wing!" Alain ordered.

Charizard flew charging against Greninja with his wings coated in metal. Much to their surprise, Ash didn't utter any word to give orders to Greninja, he just kneeled down and Greninja imitated him to dodge the attack in the last second, running forward and then turning around to throw a couple of Water Shurikens from behind. The impact got Charizard off-balance for a while, but he kept flying forward and did a U-turn to get back for another try.

"Charizard, stay in the air and use Flamethrower!" shouted Alain.

The dragon began launching streams of blue fire trying to burn Greninja from a distance. The frog leapt nimbly and ran to dodge them with much trouble, evidencing that his speed and reaction time had notably increased, to the point it was almost impossible for the naked eye to keep up with his movements.

' _He's even faster than before now,'_ thought Alain. _'Furthermore, he's acting without Ash telling him what to do, could it be…?'_

Alain knew that with the synchronization, Greninja could follow Ash's movements and the two were able to see, hear and feel the same as the other, which enabled them to better coordinate. But now, if Ash wasn't speaking out loud, maybe it was because he didn't need to. Alain knew that many Pokémon could establish telepathic links with their trainer to communicate with each other, therefore eliminating the need for talking. This came in handy to keep the opponent guessing and with no way to predict what they would do next. Had Ash and Greninja's bond reached that level of closeness?

Next thing they did was running around in circles leaving a trail of Double Team clones to confuse them, and stopping in between them every now and then to throw Water Shurikens. After a couple impacts, Alain ordered his Charizard to use Dragon Claw to protect himself, but Greninja was too fast and they couldn't keep up with all of the attacks.

"Charizard, fly around the circle with Steel Wing!"

Charizard went to fly into the circle formed by Greninja's clones, in the opposite direction to intercept him. One by one he dispelled the copies until he finally got the real one, hitting him hard and dragging him a good trail over the ground. Ash in that moment cringed slightly as he touched his chest, and this didn't go unnoticed by the rest of his friends, especially Misty.

"What's wrong with him?" she asked to Serena.

"The synchronization between Ash and Greninja is a two-way system," said Serena. "When Greninja takes damage Ash will feel it too, which is one of the reasons this transformation requires a huge physical and mental effort."

"I see…" Misty nodded. Was this what he was talking about while they were on the ship?

Ash, meanwhile, finally overcame the pain after Charizard dragged Greninja a few good feet, and the frog jumped on his opponent pulling out his Night Slash blades. Charizard flew along and turned around to charge again.

"Dragon Claw!"

The green draconian talons began clashing again with the dark energy swords. At first, the two seemed evenly matched, but little by little, Greninja and Ash began increasing the strength and speed of their attacks, forcing Charizard to step back and get on the defensive. The fierce assault ended when Greninja delivered a pair of powerful slashes that literally _broke_ _apart_ Charizard's claws, and attacked him with a double cross slash right on the chest, leaving an X-shaped trail. Charizard staggered and stepped back, and Greninja jumped to deliver an overhead vertical slash.

"Charizard, stop him!" shouted Alain in desperation.

For some miracle, Charizard managed to stop Greninja's attacks by holding his wrists. Alain didn't know how, but he wouldn't waste the chance. Without hesitation he called for a full-powered Flamethrower. Ash and Greninja closed their eyes and gritted their teeth as they felt the burn of the point-blank fire attack, trying to endure it as much as they could. Charizard threw Greninja as far as I could, making him fall on his back.

"Not yet!" Ash exclaimed, this being the first thing he said out loud since he had synchronized with Greninja.

"We have to end this now! Charizard, Double Thunder Punch!" Alain ordered.

"CHAR!" Charizard covered both his fists in electric power, ready to deliver the final blow. Everyone present was left with their mouths agape and their eyes widened; how was Ash going to counter that?

The answer came immediately: Greninja got back on his feet and materialized two Water Shurikens, one in each hand. But instead of trying to dodge the attack, he remained there standing, waiting as Charizard approached with his electrified punches ready for the coup de grace. The Thunder Punches collided against the Water Shurikens, pushing Greninja backwards several feet, but never bringing him down. After being locked in this a few seconds, Greninja jumped backwards and what Alain and Charizard saw almost caused them to lose their eyes in shock.

Greninja's shurikens had absorbed the Thunder Punches' electric energy, and now they were electrified. Greninja's hands were shaking at having to put up with the electric shocks, but this had not only mitigated the damage of the attack, but part of the power had been left inside the shurikens, now at Greninja's disposal to use as he saw fit.

"NOW!" exclaimed Ash, moving his hands, and Greninja followed suit, throwing the electrified shurikens against Charizard, who was as surprised as his trainer at this, to the point they couldn't do anything to avoid it. The dragon staggered back and began breathing heavily.

"Incredible…" Alain muttered.

This had been the battle he had been awaiting for so many years. No, even more than that, it was even better. The power of Ash and Greninja, the two of them becoming one, was still even more amazing than the last time. What could be the limit of their bond?

Nevertheless, just like before, the power limiter was still present, that being the physical and mental toll it took on Ash and Greninja to sustain it. They couldn't keep it for extended periods of time, so they only saved it as their last resort and use it if only absolutely necessary. This was a special occasion, so to speak.

"Alain… everything will go down in the next attack," said Ash. "Greninja and I will give you everything we got."

"Fair enough, Ash," the Kalosian replied, and his fire dragon nodded as well.

This was it. They were both reaching their limit, so they had to seal the match with the next movement. Ash and Greninja raised a hand, and the frog began creating a giant Water Shuriken. Alain noticed it wasn't as big as the one he threw in the Kalos League finals, neither had it turned orange with the energy. Ash raised his other fist, and Greninja imitated him preparing an Ice Punch.

"They're going to do it…" said Serena.

"Is that the technique they've been practicing?" asked Misty, to which Serena nodded.

"Come on, Alain, don't lose!" shouted Mairin.

Alain didn't know what to make of that, but right then Ash and Greninja hit the Water Shuriken with the Ice Punch, freezing it solid completely. They had nothing left, except having Charizard attack one last time with everything he had and hope for the best.

"CHARIZARD, BLAST BURN!" he yelled at the top of his lungs, abandoning every single shred of the stoicism that characterized him.

"CHAAAAAAAAAAARRR!"

For the last time, Charizard summoned the ground fire explosion, with every ounce of power he had left. Ash and Greninja, however, recalled their previous defeat in the Kalos League, and decided not to make the same mistake of standing still to tank their foes' attack while throwing their own. Greninja kneeled over his legs and jumped as high as he could when the fire explosions were about to reach him to avoid damage. In midair, he spun around while throwing the Ice Shuriken, and Charizard, drained at the effort of executing that Blast Burn, couldn't do anything to dodge or defend himself. Alain, for his part, only could watch how the giant ice ninja star flew at his partner. Everything would be over.

 _ **CRAAAAAAAASSHHH!**_

Ice shards flew around the entire beach. Alain had to take cover when some of them almost fell on top of him, noticing they were almost as hard as hail, and when he got to see the result, Greninja had landed back on the ground, no longer with the water veil, while his Charizard lied spread on the ground, back on his base form, the Mega Evolution cancelled, and unconscious.

"We lost…" the Kalosian muttered.

"Yay, Ash won, yeah!" Misty exclaimed in excitement.

"Bravo, Ash, you did it!" Serena cheered as well.

"It can't be, Alain lost… but what an incredible battle!" Mairin admitted.

While Ash's friends celebrated his victory, Alain returned his Charizard, and he noticed how Ash let himself drop seated on the sand. Greninja followed suit shortly after, but after a few seconds exchanged a thumbs up with his trained. They had made it, by the hairs, but they did it. They defeated Alain and his Charizard.

"We did it, Greninja…"

"Ja…"

"You were amazing, both of you," said Serena, approaching with Misty to help him get back on his feet.

"Amazing is an understatement," said Misty. "Was this what you talked about, Ash? Now I realize you weren't kidding."

"You see now?" He smiled. Meanwhile, Alain approached them as well.

"It was an incredible battle, Ash." He extended his hand. "I always knew you were the better trainer out of us two. The bond you have with Greninja is proof of that."

Ash shook his hand. "Hey, you guys are no slouches. You've grown pretty strong too, you forced us to the limit."

"Well, I'm not feeling bad that I lost," Alain assured. "We fought giving it all, and we did it with our own strength. I couldn't be more satisfied after such an exciting battle."

Both trainers stared at each other. They might be strong rivals in the battlefield, but out of it, they were back to be friends. At least, until they had an eventual rematch. Alain had already traced his next goal: to find his own Z-Crystal to be able to perform Z-Moves with his Charizard, and next time, he would face Ash with one of them.

"Well, well, that was an exciting battle and all, but now, can we play some volleyball?" said Mairin grabbing the aforementioned ball again. "Alain, let's play."

"I'm in," said Mallow. "Ash, you wanna play too?"

"No thanks, even I know my limits," the boy replied.

"You guys go. We'll stay here to take care of him," said Misty, and by "we" she meant her and Serena.

While Mairin dragged Alain to play with her, Mallow teamed up with Kiawe. Sophocles, Lana and Lillie went off to help set up the net, while Ash left for some rest with Misty and Serena under the shade of a large palm tree. The girls, always attentive, brought him some cold drinks and food, he deserved them after such a tremendous battle. Misty had to admit she was more than impressed, after seeing Greninja's power to its maximum. Now she understood what Ash meant, and why he had been so reluctant to lend Greninja to her while they were on the ship. Having seen the enormous physical and mental effort he had to do in order to use that power, she felt a renewed respect for him as a trainer. No everyone would be able to pull off something like that.

* * *

 _ **That night at J's apartment…**_

It had cost her a lot of money and time, but she finally had deciphered Ash Ketchum's movements. The tracker planted by that woman whom she had paid to approach him helped her in determining the place where he was staying. No wonder she didn't find it before; that hotel had more security than the national bank, and the camera circuit was much harder to hack.

"But I finally know where to find you," the hunter muttered. "Now the question is, how will I take care of you?"

She had the full intention of getting revenge on the brat, but still didn't know how to do it. Killing him? Maybe, but that had to be left for the finale, after making him suffer like never before. Maybe to the point he wished to die, by torturing him… but even that sounded too soft. However, there was something J knew would hurt him more than anything in the world. The boy was quite attached to his loved ones, both his Pokémon and human friends.

"And these two… he seems especially fond of them," she muttered, watching the photos she had taken of them.

How would he feel if he lost them? If they died in front of his eyes and he couldn't do anything to prevent it… yeah, that sounded really good. She could see they were really important to him, considering how happy they looked in their outings together. That made her feel disgusted, so much sweetness and lovey-dovey-ness made her sick. How could someone go around with such nonsense?

Ash Ketchum was going to pay for ruining her life… she would ruin his, starting by his dear girlfriends or whatever they were.

 _ **To be continued…**_

* * *

 **Author's notes:**

First of all, I'd like to address something that I've noticed. In the latest chapters of this story, I've noticed an increase of favorites and followings, and a notable decrease of reviews. While I appreciate the formers, it makes me a little sad that almost nobody has commented on the latest chapters, especially since I'm doing double work on this story by writing it BOTH in English and Spanish. I know I can't force you guys to comment, but it would really mean a lot to me if you guys shared your thoughts. Plus, how am I supposed to improve if you don't point me out what I could be doing wrong and stuff? Please consider it, OK?

Now, on to the story itself. You guys have NO idea how long I had been waiting to write this, a rematch between Ash and Alain. Let's be fair, Ash DESERVED that victory in the Kalos League. Let me be clear, though, I DO NOT hate Alain just because he beat Ash. What I'm annoyed at is how he made his way through all of his opponents simply thanks to the Mega Stones Lysandre gave him, which means all the time he was fighting with borrowed power. About him helping the villain, we all know that he had no idea that what Lysandre and Team Flare was actually a plan to cause a massive genocide, so I'm not blaming him for "betraying" Ash, let alone when at the end Lysandre revealed his true colors and Alain chose to side with Ash and everyone else against him.

What did you think about Ash and Serena's date? Like I said, I wanted to balance out things between both girls, so this time I chose something more relaxed, compared to the date with Misty. I'm also giving some special credit to **Suki90,** since the shirt Ash puts on in the scene at the shop was borrowed from some of her fanarts in DeviantArt (you can find her there under the name **Sunney90** ). Thanks a lot, girl, you're a real friend ;)

And now, as promised, a scene with Hunter J at the beginning, and another at the end as bonus. To be sincere, while I'm still not sure what I'll do with her or how she's gonna try and get her revenge against Ash, I figured that the best way to hurt him is by endangering those he cares about, and we all know how much Serena and Misty mean to him, right?

So well, that's it for now. Thanks for the reviews to **Harmonious Wolf, MajorBrony95** and **DefconDeceiver.** To everyone else who just faved/and or followed, I thank you too, but I'd really, REALLY appreciate more if you left some comments, alright? For now, I'm going back to work on another oneshot I'm working for the Pokémon Reset Bloodlines universe (only one scene left to finish). See ya around.


	6. Interrupted decision! Enter Hunter J

**Crossroads – Between a Mermaid and a Princess.**

 **By Fox McCloude.**

 **Disclaimer:** Pokémon and all related characters belong to Satoshi Tajiri and Nintendo. All rights reserved.

 **Part 6:** Interrupted decision! Enter Hunter J.

* * *

 _ **Melemele Island…**_

Ash couldn't remember the last time he got dragged into a karaoke night, but he had to admit he was having a wonderful time. Well, perhaps in part because until now he didn't have to go up to the stage and sing or something. He was content with enjoying his female friends' talent, who seemed to be having a blast, especially Serena, Lana and Mallow. Kiawe seemed already quite uncomfortable and didn't dare to step up, and when Sophocles tried… it would go without saying that everyone was kind enough not to cover their ears when he tried to sing.

Lillie went out for a while when her telephone rang, since she had received an urgent call. It was an unregistered number, but she recognized the voice instantly: it was none other than her older brother, Gladion. The boy had provisionally taken the position of President of the Aether Foundation in their mother's absence (since she was still undergoing medical treatment), but he would occasionally take a little escapade to give her a call or pay a visit, like now.

"Ash is going to be very happy to see you, Brother, I'm certain of it."

"Then it's a good thing I chose to take these days off," Gladion replied from the other side of the line. "I've been waiting a long time for a rematch with Ash."

"You're lucky; they're planning to stay only one more week or so," said Lillie. "Changing the topic… how's Mom? Has she been well lately?"

"Very well. In fact, she was quite happy with that video you sent her," said Gladion. "I can't remember the last time I saw her smile like that. She asked me to thank you, as well as your friend."

Lillie smiled. She was glad to know her mom was happy with that little gift they sent her. Of course she would properly thank Serena for doing that little show for her mother. It looked that she would be back to normal in a short time.

"In any case, I have to go. My flight leaves in a few minutes, so if there's no issue, I might be arriving at first hour tomorrow."

"I understand." Lillie nodded. "Have a nice trip, Brother, see you tomorrow."

With this she hung up and exhaled a sigh. It was always nice to have news of her brother and mother, and she was glad to know Lusamine was progressing fast in her recovery. She couldn't wait for the day the three could become a happy family, like so many years ago.

Just as Lillie returned, Serena was finishing her turn on the stage, singing a romantic song called "Candy Girl", and the others gave her a cheerful applause. The Kalosian bowed respectfully before announcing through the microphone:

"Thank you, thank you all. Who wants to come next?"

"How about Misty?" said Mallow. "She's the only amongst us who hasn't sang anything tonight."

"Me?" The redhead was surprised. "Well… I don't know, singing is not my thing."

"Aw, come on, don't tell me you're scared?" said Ash. "Or maybe is it that you're so bad at singing you only do it in the shower?"

"How dare you?" Misty exclaimed. "They don't call me the Cerulean Mermaid only for that costume, you know?"

"Yeah, sure," said Ash. "Don't think I've forgotten all those times you almost left me deaf with your yelling."

"Don't judge me if you've never heard me sing before," the redhead assured. "I could surprise you."

"Oh yeah? Then why don't you put your money where your mouth is?" he challenged her.

Misty slightly frowned, but without further words, she stepped up on the stage and politely asked Serena to make room and grant her the microphone. Checking the song list, she took a couple minutes (there were over five hundred of them) until she stopped. This was just perfect. Time to see his reaction.

"Let the music roll!" the redhead called, and the track began to play.

Ash almost expected Misty would choose a shrilling song to scream at him and leave him deaf for challenging her, but he was surprised to hear a very slow one. Of course, this was nothing compared when she finally opened her lips and began reciting the lyrics.

 _ *****_ _**You wanders off, you're just lost without me,**_

 _ **Doesn't matter what I say.**_

 _ **I try to give advice,**_

 _ **I tell you twice,**_

 _ **You won't listen - gotta do it your own way.**_

…

 _ **You drive me crazy,**_

 _ **All of the time.**_

 _ **You drive me crazy,**_

 _ **You drive me out of my mind.**_

 _ **So why do I worry 'bout you? Why do I care?**_

 _ **I don't know why I let it faze me,**_

 _ **But you drive me crazy.**_

With only the first strophe, Ash was left speechless and mouth agape. First, considering that Misty had always been loud and prone to yelling and screaming, he would have never, EVER imagined her as a singer. But now, not only she was singing; the girl had a really beautiful singing voice. The rest seemed to agree on that, especially Serena. However, the entire time while singing, Misty kept her sights set on Ash, who couldn't help but notice that he redhead deliberately changed the lyrics a little bit, as if she tried to direct the song specifically to him. But she had already started, so he had to continue listening.

 _ **You're here and there, everywhere, just looking,**_

 _ **Always finding something new.**_

 _ **I know you're kinda strange,**_

 _ **You'll never change,**_

 _ **Oh, tell me, what's a girl supposed to do?**_

…

 _ **You drive me crazy,**_

 _ **All of the time.**_

 _ **You drive me crazy,**_

 _ **You drive me out of my mind.**_

 _ **So why do I worry 'bout you? Why do I care?**_

 _ **I don't know why I let it faze me,**_

 _ **But you drive me crazy.**_

…

 _ **Just go off in your own direction,**_

 _ **And see if anybody cares.**_

 _ **Just don't come running back to me, Ash Ketchum!**_

 _ **You'll be wishing you had listened then!**_

 _ **'Cause I told you time and time again... (Hey eh)**_

…

 _ **You drive me crazy,**_

 _ **All of the time.**_

 _ **You drive me crazy,**_

 _ **You drive me out of my mind.**_

 _ **So why do I worry 'bout you? Why do I care?**_

 _ **I don't know why I let it faze me...**_

…

 _ **You drive me crazy**_

 _ **All of the time**_

 _ **You drive me crazy**_

 _ **You drive me out of my mind…**_

And just as soon as the music ended, everyone began clapping and cheering in excitement. Everyone except Ash, obviously, since he had been rendered so surprised he simply remained with his eyes wide open and without blinking until the redhead jumped off the stage and sat next to him, smiling in satisfaction.

"So then?" she asked. "You were saying?"

"Eh?" Ash was snapped out of his trance upon hearing her voice. "Well, er…"

"Wow, Misty, your singing is amazing," said Serena.

"Thank you, Serena." Misty smiled. "I think this shows Ash that we all have our hidden talents, don't we?"

The trainer from Pallet Town wanted to say something else, but unfortunately he was unable to. He had to admit it, Misty had a really lovely singing voice. Had it always been like that? During all of his journeys with her, he had never seen her showing this "hidden talent" as she had called it. In any case, was it necessary to change the lyrics towards him specifically? He was pretty sure that the original version was sang in third person and didn't specifically mention an "Ash Ketchum". Since he didn't say anything, Misty got close to him and whispered to his ear.

"Just admit it, you _loved_ it…"

"Hmm… I won't deny, you're a good singer," he grudgingly admitted.

"Just "good"?" she insisted.

"*Sigh*, alright, you have a really beautiful voice. Was that what you wanted to hear?" he finally admitted. Misty smiled in triumph as she playfully pinched on his cheek.

"Thanks, you can be a real sweetheart when you want to," she said as she winked at him.

"OK, now it's my turn again." Sophocles came up. Everyone got ready for the incoming shrill. Too bad they didn't bring earplugs.

The rest of the karaoke night was quite enjoyable for everyone. After performing no less than three or four more songs each, Misty and Serena forced Ash to step up to the stage. Since he didn't want to go alone, they tried to drag him into a duet with one of them, and when that didn't work, they just decided to perform a trio. It wasn't like Ash was exactly a singer like the two girls, but he didn't sing half bad either, admittedly.

It was almost midnight when everyone left the restaurant, and by the time they returned to the Hanohano Hotel, Ash was so tired he simply let himself drop on the bed almost immediately, just like in the cruiser's costume party. Serena and Misty giggled at this, but they weren't sleepy yet, so they went to the balcony to get some air.

"Hmm… the night breeze feels so nice," the redhead said. "Hey, Serena, I didn't know you were that good of a singer on top of a dancer. You kept it well guarded, didn't you?"

"And what about you?" Serena replied. "I'd dare say you're even better at singing than me, especially those high notes. But you seem especially good at romantic songs."

"It was a way to vent my feelings," Misty admitted. "Sometimes, when I travelled with Ash I would sing them without him knowing, although I think there was one time he almost woke up and when I let slip that I was in love with him."

"Then why did you waste that chance?" asked Serena. "That would have been a really sweet way of telling him your feelings."

Misty wanted to retort with something, but the Kalosian's point was irrefutable. Of course, that song in which she flat out told Ash "You Drive Me Crazy" was not just because. Back then, especially during their first journey travelling together through Kanto along with him, Ash's immaturity and stubbornness would really get the best of her. That didn't mean she didn't admire his better qualities, like his kind heart, willingness to help other people and his determination to achieve anything he set his mind to, but that didn't change the fact that he could really be irritating. Then again, she too was partly to blame, because it wasn't like she was _much_ more mature than him. It took her years to learn some self-control and not to let her temper to make her look like a child.

"On a different note… how was your date?" Misty asked, wanting to change the topic to dodge the question. Serena didn't call her out on it; at this point she knew her enough to easily guess her answer.

"We had a great time," she said. "We went to buy some new clothes at the boulevard before the picnic. I thought Ash could use an image change."

"Yeah, I saw that." Misty had already noticed Ash was wearing some new clothes, most likely bought by Serena. And she picked them well.

"Then we passed by a bridge, and he told me about how he caught one of his Pokémon in that place," Serena continued. "A really beautiful story… though also a little sad."

"Really?" Misty showed interest in this.

Serena began retelling what Ash had previously shared with her, about how he caught Litten. Misty was quite surprised; it seemed like Ash's Fire-type Starter Pokémon had a pattern of having sad and tragic stories: Charmander, Tepig, Chimchar… but at least Litten had been spared from suffering abuses and had someone to look after him, at least until he couldn't hold on anymore. The redhead discreetly had to wipe a small tear off her eye when Serena reached the part where Stoutland finally succumbed to his old age and left, never to come back.

"What about _your_ date?" Serena clearly tried to soften the mood. "Did you have fun diving at the reef?"

"Oh, of course we did," said Misty, quickly regaining her usual mood. "There are many Water-types I had never seen before. Although… I can't understand how underwater spiders can exist, ugh…"

"Anything wrong with spiders?" Serena tilted her head in confusion.

"Not just spiders," Misty confessed. "To be honest… I've never gotten along with Bug-types. Not even if they were part Water-types. I could make an exception with cute ones, but… I still don't like them very much."

"I see." Serena nodded. Anyone who had favorite Pokémon obviously had their _least_ favorites somewhere. "If it makes you feel any better, I've had my own issues with certain Pokémon too."

"Really?" asked Misty. That was new too.

"I told you once that my mom is a professional Rhyhorn racer, right?" the Kalosian asked, and Misty nodded. "Well… I don't know what I have, but when I'm in front of large crowds of Rhyhorn… it seems like they go crazy and come over to me."

"Oh my…" Misty placed her hand on her mouth.

"It's not like they attack me or anything, but… having so many of them hoarding around me really makes me feel uncomfortable," Serena confessed. "Would you believe me if I said that there was one time it actually helped me win a Pokémon Showcase? I was shaking and I just wanted to run away from there, I wouldn't have minded to lose just that one time."

Misty didn't know if she should laugh or not, but ultimately she held it back so as to not to offend her friend. Inside, though, she had to admit it was kind of funny. Luck or a strange talent? It was hard to determine.

"At least you could use it for something," she finally said. "Unlike my fear of bugs; that has never come in handy for me at all. Anyway…"

Both girls stared at the horizon over the sea. They had little more than one week before leaving Melemele Island and boarding the cruiser to return to Kanto. After that, each of them would take their own path, and they still hadn't done what they had come for in the first place.

"I think it'll be hard to get Ash to choose one of us this way," said Misty.

"I agree," Serena nodded. "It's been fun and all, but… maybe we should ask him directly."

"But it won't be that easy," said Misty. "I know sometimes he can be clueless and dense, but… I don't think we should go up front and say "Hey, Ash, which of us two you would prefer as your girlfriend?" or something like that."

"Heh, no, of course not," said Serena. "But maybe… that's not too far off. We just need to find a way to tell him."

"Well, as long as we both respect the pact we made, right?" Misty raised her pinky finger.

"Right." Serena quickly intertwined her own.

Even though they were still friends, none of them had forgotten they were also rivals, and the real reason to take this little vacation was to get Ash to choose one of them. From what they could see, he seemed to enjoy being near both of them, and it almost felt a little cruel to force him into a choice between the two. But that was how it had to be, it was inevitable.

"Hmm?" Misty suddenly turned to one side of the balcony, and then upwards for no apparent reason, like she had felt something.

"What's the matter?" asked Serena. "Something wrong?"

"Don't you feel like… like we're being watched or something?" asked Misty.

Serena looked around too. Strangely enough, Misty was right; for a moment it was like she could feel the eyes of something staring at her. She didn't feel it anymore, but it did come up for a second. And she didn't like that sensation. Was someone spying on them?

"Maybe it's just me," said Misty. "We better go sleep now, tomorrow we have another long day to have fun."

Both girls returned to the room to change their clothes and get some sleep. Maybe it had been just their imagination. Who could be spying on them, and for what? And should that be the case, maybe it was just a peeping tom spying on pretty girls like them. Unpleasant, maybe, but not that much to warrant paranoia.

Meanwhile, the person watching the movements of Ash and his two friends very closely, was none other than a certain silver-haired, black-shades-wearing woman. Taking advantage of the darkness of the night, she had gone out to fly on her Salamence's back, after buying him a riding equipment. It was much more comfortable to fly this way, and it eliminated the inherent risk of falling off from great heights while standing. With so many people doing the same, nobody would notice her.

She had been following the trio for the whole day, Ash Ketchum and his two little friends. Aside from staying at this particular hotel, they seemed to spend a lot of time hanging out at that restaurant. With so many witnesses it would be much harder to get her hands on those two. The best she could do was wait until they were alone and unprotected. Then she could make her move and start her sweet vengeance against the brat who ruined her life.

* * *

 _ **The next morning, at the Melemele Airport…**_

Misty and Serena couldn't believe their luck. When Lillie told them she would go to the airport to welcome her older brother, who had come for a visit, they almost had a cardiac arrest upon hearing Ash wanted to come along too. More for "obvious" reasons of worry, although they were relieved to know that it was because Ash had also some history with Gladion, in the same vein as Alain. And since the Kalosian young man had gone his way already, it was evident that Ash wouldn't pass up the chance for a good battle with another of his (many) rivals. Apparently some things would never change.

"Flight 767 from Latios Airlines has just landed on Runway Number 14. Passengers will arrive to the airport through Gate 11."

"That's my brother's flight," said Lillie.

"Well, let's not waste any time, let's go greet him!" said Ash, with Pikachu over his shoulder as always.

Ash and Lillie walked towards Gate 11, keeping their eyes open for any bright blond hair in the distance. It was difficult to distinguish something among so many people, put Lillie finally managed to see him and quickly began waving at him.

"Brother, over here, here!" she called out. Gladion turned into her direction and with a slight smile he slowly walked towards her, his Umbreon walking beside him. Lillie however, didn't hold back and rushed to hug him. "I missed you so much!"

"Hey, me too. I'm glad to see you're well." He just smiled and returned the hug with his free hand. It was then that he noticed who came behind her sister. He wasn't that surprised; there was no way Lillie wouldn't tell him.

"Hey, Gladion, long time no see," Ash greeted him.

"Ash." The blond young man extended his hand. "I've heard interesting rumors about you. I see you haven't wasted your time; you've worked hard to grow stronger."

"Did you expect any less?" Ash shook his hand. "I'm always working hard to be better every day, you know that. What about you? Lillie you've taken charge of the Aether Foundation."

"It's just temporary, until our mother has recovered," said Gladion. "Someone had to do it, though my only regret is not having much time to train my Pokémon."

"I'll say it again, I'd gladly help you if you but asked me to." Lillie pouted a little. "Even if that means leaving the Trainer School for a while."

"Don't insist, I know how much you enjoy your job," Gladion replied. "In any case, since Hobbes offered to take care of things for a few days, I decided to take a few days off. Good thing I choose to do it now."

Gladion stared at Ash again. Years before when they met for the first time, he could see the boy had a lot of potential, and he was certain that he could grow even stronger, not to mention how he helped to save his mother from that terrible Nihilego infection. He'd always be grateful for that, but something hadn't changed and that was his urge to test how strong he had become since then.

"I heard you became a Frontier Brain at the Kanto Battle Frontier," said Gladion. "I figured you've come a long way since our last meeting."

"You bet," Ash replied. "You just tell me when and where, and we can have a good battle."

"There's going to be a lot of time for that later," Lillie piped up. "Your flight must have been tiresome, why don't we go to Mallow's restaurant so you can eat something? Also, that way we can introduce you to Ash's other friends."

"Alright, since you insist. Let's go, Umbreon." He gestured his partner to follow him.

With this, the trio walked towards Mallow's restaurant, with no hurry at all. Gladion glanced around for a bit. The Melemele Airport was as noisy and busy as before. That was a good thing, he was glad to see things hadn't changed much in his absence. And he couldn't wait to see what Ash had in store to show him after so long.

* * *

 _ **Mallow's restaurant, shortly after…**_

The welcome party for the newly arrival started almost immediately. Gladion wasn't one for parties or social meetings, but he made an exception for his sister, just that once. Although he didn't show it much, Gladion appreciated they did this for him, and he was glad to see Lillie's circle of friends was as cheerful and upbeat as ever.

Still, while everyone else was having fun, after a while the blond young man decided to go aside for a while to get some peace and quiet, and also to have the chance to chat a little with Ash. There was a lot he wanted to catch up with; after all, the two hadn't seen each other or even had any contact for a long time.

"So then… what's that Battle Coliseum you have at your hometown?" Gladion asked.

"It's almost like a Pokémon Gym you'd see on almost every region, but I have a stadium exclusive for the best battles," said Ash. "Only the Frontier challengers get to see the best of my Pokémon."

"Wow, that sounds like a lot of hard work," said Gladion.

"Not as much as being the President of a Foundation," Ash replied. "I don't think I can do something like that."

"Well, I've got my share of good and bad days, but I can manage," said Gladion. "In any case, I miss being able to travel as a trainer. It's hard to keep my Pokémon in shape when you're sitting in front of a desk all day long. Not to mention that I have to wear a suit, and I hate suits."

Ash could sympathize with that. He too wasn't fond of dressing formal. One of the advantages of being a Frontier Brain was that he could wear whatever he wanted during work hours, and at organized events, Scott was quite flexible with the "dressing code". He definitely didn't envy Gladion's current position.

"Anyway." Gladion looked back at the party, focusing his attention specifically on Misty and Serena, who were chatting by a table. Those two were the only ones he didn't know when he arrived. "You have a couple of nice friends."

"You have no idea." Ash smiled. "Those two convinced me of coming here on vacation in the first place."

"Remind me to thank them later for that," said Gladion. "Is it my idea, or those two are rather interested in you? If you get my drift."

"I know," said Ash. "Those two left subtleties behind long ago. It's pretty obvious they're not content with being just my friends anymore. They want something more with me."

"And what do you plan to do about it?" asked Gladion.

Ash looked at him as he meditated the answer, and then turned towards Misty and Serena. They were possibly the biggest crossroad he had ever faced in his life. Before, since he was focused on being a trainer, he didn't think of them as more than close friends and travelling companions, although over time he matured enough to appreciate them beyond that. Maturing also made him realize each of them had her own qualities, and he couldn't say he wasn't enticed by their charms. They were complete opposites, but no less attractive because of that, and it wasn't like he had a "type" of girl in particular he was attracted to.

"I still don't know," said Ash. "Those two are… very important to me, and I'd say each of them has her own personal charm. I can't say one is better than the other. I was never good for this kind of things, so I really have no idea how to deal with this."

"Well, in that case, how about we deal with something you're good at?" Gladion suggested. "A Pokémon battle, for old times' sake?"

"Sure. Right here and now?"

"No, I think we should do it tomorrow. Preferably… at a place where nobody would bother us, out of everyone's sight."

Ash arched an eyebrow at this, but he figured it would make no harm to accept Gladion's terms. Besides, he wasn't in a hurry or anything. Taking breaks every once in a while wasn't bad, plus he had to tell Serena and Misty of his plans, so they wouldn't think he stood them up or something.

* * *

 _ **The next day…**_

Although Ash at first didn't get why Gladion wanted them to have their battle at a secluded place, far away from everyone's sight, he didn't protest. So long as they could have a good battle, the rest was irrelevant. It had always been that way for him.

Gladion's reason was actually because the Pokémon he wanted to test was one he didn't like using in public (for obvious reasons), and when Ash saw him, he would understand why. Even though Umbreon wanted to get into the game, the Dark-type accepted his master's decision and stepped back to make room for the battle.

"Are you ready, Ash?" asked Gladion as he adjusted his Z-Ring.

"Ready when you are," Ash replied, as he too adjusted the Mega-Ring on his right wrist. He had already in mind whom he would use for this battle, and without waiting for Gladion's choice, he threw his Pokéball. "Charizard, I choose you!"

"Char!" The Fire/Flying-type lizard appeared on the battlefield. Unlike Alain's, he wore his Charizardite Y on an armband, and awaited his orders sharpening his claws and blowing a Flamethrower.

Gladion watched Charizard carefully. His bright colors, his muscular limbs, and those eyes burning in sheer determination, everything pointed at years of experience and training that had made him really strong. A perfect opponent for his partner.

"Go, Silvally!" Gladion commanded as he threw an Ultra Ball. It was then Ash understood why Gladion wanted them to have their battle in private.

The Pokémon Gladion chose was one Ash recognized very well. An artificial Pokémon, created like some sort of chimaera due to his physical attributes: the torso and hind legs, black with purple spots were like those of a mammal, but the forelegs were green and ended in sharp avian talons, and had a blue and white tail shaped like a fish's tailfin. The only difference was that he now didn't wear a mask covering his face, which looked like a canine, a mechanic wolf, and his crest had some sort of "feathers" pointing backwards.

"Hey, isn't that…?" Ash said upon recognizing her.

"Type: Null? Not anymore," said Gladion with a serious tone. "I decided he deserved a real name, and I picked Silvally. Or rather… _he_ picked it."

Ash smiled at this. Even knowing the circumstances behind the Pokémon's origin, created artificially, it was nice to see Gladion not only treated him as a sentient living being, but also as his partner. Well, he would have done the same thing. In any case, an unique and rare Pokémon like that was better off out of the public's sight, lest that people would start asking questions about it.

"Alright, let's get started!" Ash exclaimed. "Charizard, start with Flamethrower!"

"Chaaaaaaaar!" With a roar, Charizard let out a fiery stream towards Silvally.

"Dodge and use Rock Slide!" Gladion called.

The chimaera Pokémon jumped out of the way of the Flamethrower, and while he was still in midair, the hairs around his neck began to glow as they generated rock shards that flew towards Charizard at high speeds.

"Charizard, protect yourself with Steel Wing!" Ash countered.

Said and done, Charizard coated his wings in metallic energy and closed them to take cover. The rock shards hit the metal surface, shattering into smaller pieces as they impacted without causing any significant damage. Gladion saw this and decided to fight metal with metal.

"Crush Claw!" he yelled.

Silvally's forelegs began to glow with a red energy as he jumped at Charizard, still in defensive stance. As he landed on his hind legs, he began striking the metallic wings with his talons, and even though it was a Normal-type attack against a Steel-type defense, it had enough force to make Charizard flinch slightly, although still unable to pierce through his guard, until Charizard finally gave in and was forced to open them again.

"Flame Charge!" Gladion yelled.

Silvally became engulfed in flames and charged against Charizard, literally rolling him over. Charizard quickly got back up and countered with a Flamethrower, but the Flame Charge additional effect activated and Silvally moved fast enough to get a better angle for a counterattack.

"Again, Rock Slide!"

Silvally fired again the rain of rocks against Charizard, and Ash this time was unable to tell him to raise his Steel Wing defense. However, that didn't mean Charizard was helpless, quite the opposite. Without Ash telling him to, the Fire-type Pokémon began using his claws to deflect the rock shard, and the last one, a particularly big one, he batted it with a tail strike sending it back where it came from. Both Silvally and Gladion were surprised at this.

"Where did your Charizard learn to do that?" asked Gladion.

"At the Charicific Valley," said Ash. "He learned quite a few things on his own over there, like taking his own initiative in some situations."

"Interesting." Gladion smiled at this. A Pokémon loyal to its trainer, but capable of making its own decisions when needed, that was certainly a valuable ally and partner. That was something he and Silvally needed to work on. It seemed like raw power wouldn't be enough to win. "Silvally, use Flame Charge again!"

"Charizard, Dragon Tail!"

This time, instead of attacking, Charizard waited for Silvally to come with his Flame Charge at full speed, and delivered a tail strike to make him trip over. Greater speed meant he would crash much harder after he tripped over, and as soon as the Flame Charge dispelled, Charizard immediately unleashed a Flamethrower at his rear.

"Go, Charizard, Steel Wing!" Ash kept pressing.

Determined to keep up the assault, while Silvally was still on the ground, Charizard flew up high and dove in to charge at Silvally with his metallic wings. Gladion managed to call for a Crush Claw to get a grip on the ground once he received the hit. While Charizard did drag him for a bit, he finally stopped.

"Multi-Attack!" Gladion commanded.

Silvally roared and began glowing as he charged up power. Next, he sped off towards Charizard, ramming him with full force. But he didn't stop there: as soon as he landed on the other side he turned around to charge again. He repeated the pattern one, two, three more times managing to disorient Charizard enough to leave him wide open for another attack.

"Now, Rock Slide!"

Silvally once again summoned a rain of rocks against Charizard, who this time was unable to raise any defense to protect himself, taking the full brunt of the attack. Only his endurance thanks to his experience and training helped him endure until it ended. Upon seeing this, Gladion decided it was time to end the match and raised his Z-Ring.

"Here we go!" he said as he began doing the pose for the Rock-type Z-Move. "Receive my power now!"

Ash knew that if Charizard took the full impact of that attack in his current state he would irremediably lose. Silvally's power was incredible, but Ash and Charizard still hadn't used everything they had. They might not have a Z-Move to counter Gladion's, but they did have a Charizardite Y to get a power boost. With luck, that should be enough to survive this attack and continue the battle.

"CONTINENTAL CRUSH!"

"CHARIZARD, MEGA EVOLVE!" Ash raised his right wrist and tapped his Key Stone.

Just when Gladion's Z-Crystal powered up Silvally, the Charizardite Y began reacting too, completely coating Charizard in energy and awakening his hidden powers. Silvally leapt into the air, attracting a large amount of rocks that merged into a single, gigantic one, and then pushed it with his all fours towards Charizard. The rock crushed him irremediably, but a few seconds later, to Gladion's shock, cracks began to appear, until the shards were violently blasted away, as a result of a large fire explosion.

Charizard was still standing in the same place, a bit bruised, but the Mega Evolution's power had saved him from being knocked out after being crushed by that huge boulder. He had slightly grown in size and his skin had taken a slightly darker tone. His arms had grown a couple of protuberances on the elbows, his wings were much larger than normal, and a third horn had appeared in the middle of his head. He had become Mega Charizard Y.

Gladion stared at him with surprise. That had been a smart move; Mega Evolving Charizard helped the power to partially mitigate the Z-Move's damage, and now he had a second air to continue fighting. Obviously he was saving the best for the finale.

"Flamethrower!" the black-haired trainer called.

With a roar, Charizard launched a fire stream, more powerful and faster than before Mega Evolving, to the point Silvally didn't have time to dodge and took the full brunt. Upon finishing, he had left some grave burns and Silvally felt them. Gladion realized he had to go full out now that he had used his best card with the Z-Move. Although Charizard had taken damage from the Z-Move, victory was uncertain until the very end.

"Flamethrower again!" Ash called.

"Silvally, Flame Charge!" the blonde replied.

For such a powerful Flamethrower attack, the best thing he could do was fight fire with fire, using the Flame Charge's coating as a shield to get close enough to Charizard and ram him. When Charizard stopped breathing, Silvally also dissipated the Flame Charge, and Gladion called for another Multi-Attack. Silvally sidestepped on Charizard to attack from the left, then from the right and finally from behind. But when he attempted the fourth strike by the front, Charizard foresaw it and grabbed him by his talons, stopping him dead on his tracks.

"No!" Gladion exclaimed.

"Charizard, take Silvally up into the air!" Ash ordered. Without wasting a second, Charizard flapped his wings and flew up high until almost getting out of sight, and Gladion had to cover his eyes due to the bright sunlight. "Seismic Toss!"

Charizard roared and began flying in circles to gain speed. Once he built up enough momentum, he descended vertiginously towards the ground, slamming Silvally at full force, face first on the sand. A lot of dust was kicked up in the impact, and after a few seconds they saw the result. Charizard was still standing, while Silvally lied in a huge crater as a result of the crash. However, a couple seconds later, the chimaera opened his eyes and jumped back up on his feet, staring down at his foe again.

Gladion let out a small sigh of relief upon seeing Silvally still wasn't out of the game. Charizard and Ash glanced at their opponents with a bit of surprise, but then they smiled. There was no doubt Gladion and Silvally were a really strong team, and they had to respond in kind, with everything they had. The battle was still on.

Suddenly, Pikachu perked up his ears. Even in the (literal) heat of the battle, his sharp senses never missed out anything happening in his surroundings, and when he heard a flapping sound approaching, he became on alert.

"Pikapi, pikachu!" he exclaimed, pulling on Ash's pants to get his attention.

"Eh? What's the matter, Pikachu?" the boy asked. Gladion also stopped at the interruption. Ash looked in the direction Pikachu pointed, and saw a small dot approaching them, at first hard to distinguish due to the sun, but it became clear soon enough.

"Ori, ori!" it began squawking as it approached.

Gladion was surprised to see an Oricorio in Pom-Pom form landing and then started to talk to Pikachu. It seemed pretty shaken up. Pikachu jumped in shock and immediately began talking to Ash, making gestures (and a second, he could almost swear he adopted the faces of Ash's friends, Serena and Misty). The thing was, upon finishing, Ash also took an expression of total alarm, so without wasting any time he ran towards Gladion.

"Something wrong?" he asked.

"Looks like Misty and Serena are in trouble," said Ash. "I hate to say this, but I think we'll have to leave our battle on hold for now."

"Trouble? How do you know?" asked Gladion.

"This is Serena's Oricorio. From what he told Pikachu, looks like he escaped to get help and came over looking for me," Ash explained. Gladion didn't bother to question how Ash could understand what Pikachu said, but if what he said was true, and Ash's friends were in trouble, they couldn't waste any time.

"I'll go find my sister and the others," Gladion offered. "If something happened to them, we'll do what we can to help."

"Thanks." Ash nodded. "Oricorio, lead the way. Pikachu, Charizard, let's go!"

Oricorio began flying again, while Ash, Pikachu and Charizard went after him, and Gladion went his own way to get the others. As much as they'd love to finish their battle (Ash hated being interrupted in the middle of one), if Oricorio had come like that, something serious must have happened to them. Inside, the black-haired trainer prayed so Misty and Serena hadn't gotten themselves into something bad. While they never actively searched for trouble, something that hadn't changed over the years was that they still had a special talent to have trouble _find them_ wherever they went, and frequently when they less needed them. It was kind of weird that their vacations had been a bit way too much relaxing so far.

* * *

 _ **A few hours before, that morning…**_

Misty and Serena had no other plans for that day. At this point, both of them had been able to make use the prize they won at the cruiser, and they were in no hurry to spend the rest yet. Plus, since Ash had gone off on his own to have a battle with an old friend/rival, they decided to follow his lead and see if they found something to do the same. In Misty's case, it was a way to vent the annoyance at Ash's decision to not to spend the day with either of the two.

"I can't believe Ash prefers a battle with Gladion instead of spending time with us," the redhead complained.

"Can you blame him? Ash will always be Ash." Serena defended him. "He never wastes the chance for a good battle."

"I suppose you're right." Misty shrugged. "Even so, we have but one more week before we leave and… it doesn't seem like Ash is going to decide for one of us any time soon."

"Well, it's not like we're making it easy for him," Serena pointed. "I still think we should ask him directly. You know how he is, we have to say things upfront."

"You're starting to convince me of that," Misty admitted, as she stretched a bit. "Ah, in this moment I just wish I had someone to hit to relieve this stress."

"Come on in, everyone! Only for the ladies, we have an all-female impromptu tournament and we still have two empty slots!" A woman announced with a megaphone. "Rules are simple, one-on-one battles and using a different Pokémon in each round! The winner gets a juicy prize of 25,000 in cash!

Serena and Misty exchanged glances, watching in the direction where the woman announced the impromptu female tournament. There was a stage with a large battlefield that looked a lot like from Pokémon Contests, albeit it was in open air and the stands were filling with spectators. Without wasting a second, both girls rushed at that place.

"Excuse me, can we enter?" asked Misty.

"Why yes, over there place!" the announcer said, pointing at a small stand, where a bespectacled woman was taking notes.

The woman registered their info and they officially registered themselves for the tournament. How convenient, just what Misty needed. But like some people said, when some things looked too good to be true, they usually were, since there was someone with her sights set on them.

J had been following the movements of the two female brats for quite a while, and now she seemed to have the perfect opportunity to get her hands on them. It was just a matter of sneaking into the crowd coming to watch this silly tournament. With luck, maybe both girls' Pokémon would be too exhausted when it was over and they wouldn't be in condition to protect them. Although she was worried about the redhead's Gyarados, which she would most likely save for the final round.

After the sorting, Misty and Serena ended up in opposite blocks, which meant they wouldn't face each other unless they hypothetically reached the finals. The battles were sudden death, four rounds using a different Pokémon. Obviously none of them wanted to use their best card in the first rounds. Any wound their Pokémon suffered would be healed after the tournament. Also, the battles would last around ten minutes, and at the end of that, the judges could decide by a score which of the two Pokémon could move on to the next round. Serena observed this mechanic was very similar to Pokémon Contests, so she decided to use it to her advantage. Misty, on the other hand, decided that she would hit first and as hard as she could so her opponents would have the chance to respond.

"The first match of Block A is about to start! Miss Misty vs. Madame Florence!"

"What do we have here?" The opponent in front of Misty was a forty-something fat woman, wearing a floral dress and giving herself airs with a fan. "Young lady, why don't you just give up now and spare yourself the humiliation?"

"Normally, I was taught to be respectful to my elders, but if you're going to be like that, I'll have to teach you a lesson, lady." The redhead grabbed her Pokéball. "Please don't hold it against me when I wipe the floor with your Pokémon."

"Competitors ready?" the referee asked. "Start!"

"Shiinotic, darling, it's your turn!" Madame Florence called.

"Misty calls Starmie!" the redhead said in response.

Starmie suddenly found herself in front of a Pokémon Misty had never seen before, possibly native to Alola. A slim and pale body, with thin arms like sticks, and small feet in some sort of pink "pants", and a huge purple mushroom over his head, with white spots and pink edge. A Grass-type most likely, if she had to guess. She had to be careful.

"Shiinotic, use Sleep Powder!" the fat lady called. Immediately, the mushroom shook its head and launched a cloud of blue spores towards the purple starfish.

"Starmie, Rapid Spin and Water Gun!" Misty replied.

The purple star began spinning while letting out water streams around several of her tips, creating what clearly was Misty's own version of the Counter-Shield, protecting herself from the Sleep Powder and getting close enough to hit the mushroom with her entire body. The fat lady frowned at not being able to land the first hit.

"Shiinotic darling, counter with Moonblast!" she called. The mushroom got back up and began generating a multicolor light as it charged its attack.

"Starmie, use Thunderbolt!" Misty exclaimed. Starmie followed suit, preparing an electric attack to counter Shiinotic's.

The electric bolts collided head on with the Fairy-type energy blast, and the explosion ended up blowing both Pokémon backwards, but they landed on their feet in front of their trainers, mostly unaffected and ready to continue. Misty decided to keep pressing forward on the offensive while she still had the chance.

"Rapid Spin!" she called, and instantly Starmie flew towards Shiinotic spinning out.

"Ingrain!" ordered Madame Florence. Shiinotic buried its feet on the ground, bringing out some roots to hold in place and resist Starmie's attack, taking the chance to grab her when she finally stopped spinning. "Now, Giga Drain!"

Green energy tendrils came out of Shiinotic's entire body, completely wrapping around Starmie. The starfish was unable to break free before getting sucked out of a large amount of energy, but Misty ordered her to deliver a Thunderbolt at point-blank range, leaping backwards to take a good distance and stop the Giga Drain, but the fat lady wasn't done with her assault just yet.

"Use Sleep Powder again, darling!" she called.

The mushroom unleashed the sleeping spores again. Misty tried to defend in the same way, but Starmie's strength had diminished greatly, along with her reaction time, so she was unable to raise her Counter-Shield in the same manner to dispel the Sleep Powder. Starmie stumbled around and dropped on the ground while her red gem began blinking. Misty gritted her teeth, but the worst was yet to come.

"Dream Eater!" Madame Florence shouted.

Shiinotic began to glow again and its eyes turned red, while it started to absorb Starmie's power, while the star was helpless to do anything. The red gem blinked weaker and weaker, and if it kept up she'd end up defeated in a very humiliating way.

"Starmie, hurry, you have to wake up!" Misty shouted.

Shiinotic continued absorbing Starmie's energy, and adding up the fact it was uprooted and absorbing nutrients to keep healing itself, it looked like she couldn't beat it.

"Starmie, come on, wake up!" the redhead kept shouting.

"Ah, hahahahaha!" the fat lady laughed out loud. "Young lady, you better give up now. You can't beat my Shiinotic."

Fortunately, in that very moment, Starmie came to and woke up, but the damage was done. It looked like she could barely stand, but Misty wasn't planning to give up. She still had some tricks up her sleeve. First things first; to attack the root of the problem… literally.

"Shiinotic, finish with Giga Drain!" the fat lady commanded.

Misty wouldn't let them carry on their game. Setting her sight on the roots, that was the first spot to attack, and she knew exactly how to do it.

"Starmie, aim at the roots with Ice Beam!" Misty shouted.

Before the Giga Drain tendrils reached her, Starmie's freezing beam hit Shiinotic's roots, instantly freezing them and disrupting its attack. But Misty didn't stop there: since it had been immobilized, she kept firing Ice Beams one after the other until it had been almost completely frozen. Now she had the chance to turn the tables around.

"Starmie, Recover, now!" Misty commanded.

Starmie's gem began glowing intensely, and a pink light covered the starfish, while she slowly but surely regained her strength. Meanwhile, Madame Florence screamed, urging her Shiinotic to break free of the ice, shaking around to try and break it. When Shiinotic was about to thaw out, Madame Florence got enraged and decided to and decided to launch the strongest attack they had.

"Solar Beam!"

While Starmie tried to replenish her stolen energies, Shiinotic began charging its energy to deliver everything it had, its mushroom intensely glowing. Misty had to hurry: if that Solar Beam hit, Starmie wouldn't make it.

"Starmie, get ready for a Hidro Pump when I tell you!"

The price for the Solar Beam was a long charging time, and there was no harsh sunlight at the time to speed it up. However, with Starmie busy using Recover, that wasn't a problem. Although Misty had fought enough Grass-types with Solar Beam at her Gym to know how to use it against them. It was just a matter of launching an attack to disrupt the charge in the exact moment, which was when it reached the charge apex. All she had to do was to check the glow on the Pokémon…

"Now!" Misty shouted.

Starmie fired a powerful spiraling torrent of water towards Shiinotic. Even though it wasn't very effective, the Hydro Pump had the desired effect of destabilizing the mushroom right when the charging was ready. The attack exploded launching Shiinotic up into the air, and making it fall to the ground knocked out.

"Shiinotic is unable to battle! Starmie wins the match and Misty moves on to the next round!" the referee declared.

"Yeah, way to go, Starmie!" Misty celebrated.

"This cannot be!" Madame Florence complained. "How could I lose?"

While the fat lady picked up her mushroom and left in a huff, Misty recalled Starmie. That had been too close; if the other competitors were that good, she had to be more cautious, and decide carefully whom she would use in the following rounds. Obviously she was planning to save Gyarados for the final round, and Serena would most likely use her Delphox, her strongest Pokémon. Until then, she would stay watching and cheering her on in her combats.

Serena had to wait until the last turn of her block, and even though she wasn't showing it much, she was pretty anxious to start. She had seen the other participants were pretty good, and just by seeing Misty's fight she knew she shouldn't take anybody lightly. Finally, when they called her, upon taking her position on the battlefield, she had the strange feeling of her opponent being familiar. A year around her same age, maybe one or two years above, with very long black hair, wearing a sundress and a sun hat with a purple flower. She had a "rich girl" air about her.

"Wait… I know you," the girl said as she saw Serena. "You're the one who beat me at the Fleurrh City Showcase years ago!"

"Say what?" Serena asked.

"The battle between Miss Amelia and Miss Serena begins now!" the announcer said, and upon hearing the name Serena remembered.

"It was your fault that I lost my chance that time!" Amelia exclaimed as she grabbed her Pokéball. "I'll make you pay! Espeon, go!"

"Espeon!" The Psychic-type Eeveelution appeared on the field, ready for battle.

Serena recalled little by little. This Amelia girl had been one of her opponents in Fleurrh City. At the time, Amelia was one of the favorites and Serena wasn't sure she could win, but surprisingly enough, she did. After the competition, she saw Amelia approaching Palermo, begging for another chance and saying she had performed better than Serena, but she was rejected. She hadn't seen her since then, but now, she seemed very angry. Was she holding a grudge? Whatever the case, she wouldn't let herself be intimidated.

"Sylveon, take the stage!"

"Syl!" If Amelia was facing her with an Eeveelution, it seemed fair enough to respond with her own.

"Espeon, begin with Psychic!" called Amelia. Espeon's eyes as well as the gem in her forehead began glowing as she focused her energies to start her attack.

"Sylveon, Protect!" countered Serena.

In response, Serena's Sylveon raised a protective dome, keeping it up until Espeon ceased to emit her psychic powers. It took much longer than Serena had imagined, but Sylveon managed to endure as long as it lasted.

"Sylveon, use Dazzling Gleam!" shouted Serena.

Sylveon began to glow in a rainbow light, and leaping high in the air, she fired over Espeon a rain of multicolor beams. She tried to run and jump, but was unable to dodge all of them, much to Amelia's irritation due to not being able to land the first hit.

"Espeon, get close and use Iron Tail!" Amelia called.

"Eon!" Espeon's tail took on a metallic glow and she rushed at Sylveon to deliver a strike.

"Double Team!" Serena shouted.

"¡Sylveon!"

In quick succession, copies of Sylveon began appearing all over the field, and Espeon hit one of them, dissipating it. Without letting herself be discouraged, Espeon pressed forward and charged at the next, but the result was the same, and per each vanishing copy, three or more seemed to take its place.

"Espeon, use Hyper Voice all over the field!"

"ESPEOOOOOON!"

Espeon stood on the center of the field and raised her head as she released a cry skywards, sending out a large sonic wave over all the nearby area. Serena was surprised: this was the first time she witnessed a Hyper Voice attack like this, increasing power with each cry. The radius expanded little by little, dispelling the Double Team copies one after the other, until the waves finally hit the real Sylveon, stunning her.

"There she is! Hit her with Iron Tail!" Amelia exclaimed.

Without losing a beat, Espeon ran at Sylveon, capitalizing on the fact she was still stunned at the Hyper Voice attack. Jumping over her, Espeon delivered one, two, three tail strikes, delivering the last one right to Sylveon's face and making her fall to the ground.

"Sylveon, are you alright?" a worried Serena asked. Those Iron Tail attacks had to hurt.

"Syl… Sylveon!" The Fairy-type Eeveelution quickly jumped back to her feet, as if nothing had happened, and bravely stared down at her counterpart, ready to continue.

"Well, aren't you persistent?" said Amelia. "Espeon, use Psychic again!"

"Sylveon, Protect!"

Like before, Sylveon tried to shield herself from Espeon's Psychic attack, but this time, the Psychic-type Eeveelution's attack outlasted Protect, and as soon as she saw the barrier flinch, she attacked at full force and lifted Sylveon up into the air to slam her against the ground. Amelia saw in satisfaction how her opponent fell down and struggled to get back on her feet.

"Let's finish this in style! Future Sight!" Amelia exclaimed.

Serena became paralyzed at this. Future Sight was a delayed action move, but the damage it could cause was massive. However, recalling Ash's battle in the Anistar Gym, the performer-coordinator knew exactly what to do. Ash had used Pikachu to gauge the time the attack took to execute, and she knew for experience that a well-trained Pokémon could deliver it in a minute on average, plus it also had a flash that warned where and when it would come a couple seconds before.

"Dodge with Double Team until I tell you, Sylveon!" Serena ordered.

Just like before, Sylveon began to multiply herself over the battlefield. Amelia smiled in arrogance; was she that desperate to escape the incoming attack, or she just wanted to delay the inevitable? The raven-haired girl ordered her Espeon to use Hyper Voice to dispel the doppelgangers. However, this time Sylveon stayed out of range and moving constantly to prevent all clones from being dispelled. At the same time, Serena mentally counted and kept her eyes open for any sign of the Future Sight attack. Until then, she had to remain on alert.

' _Fifty seconds… it'll come any time now.'_ Serena keep looking around the field. Through the corner of her eye, she managed to spot the psychic flash. "PROTECT, NOW!"

Said and done, just before a huge column of psychic power descended over Sylveon, the Double Team dispelled and Sylveon raised her protective dome, saving herself in the last instant, leaving Amelia and her Espeon with their mouths wide open.

"How did you know when it would come?!" the black-haired girl yelled.

"I've seen enough Future Sight attacks to gauge their time," Serena replied. "Sylveon, spread your Dazzling Gleam all over the field!"

"Sylveon!"

Sylveon once again took over the center of the battlefield to initiate her attack, but instead of jumping, she remained grounded, and taking a page of Espeon and Amelia's book, she performed the attack like a huge luminous blast centered on her. Espeon tried to jump out of the blast radius but didn't make it. Serena smiled; after an attack like that they were really close to win. Amelia, for her part, seemed to get more irritated by the moment.

"Espeon, let's wipe that stupid smile out of their faces!" she yelled. "Iron Tail and finish them!"

Espeon coated her tail in metallic energy and rushed forward again. Serena and Sylveon sighed in resignation; they probably were desperate to have tried a front attack so recklessly. Sylveon jumped to evade the metal tail slap, and stood behind Espeon as she charged another Psychic attack.

"Use Psychic, full power!" yelled Amelia.

This time, Sylveon didn't get to react in time to protect herself, and the Psychic attack caught her, lifting her into the air again. After slamming her against the ground a couple times, Espeon threw Sylveon describing an arc above, throwing her at the other side of the field. It seemed like it could have been the end, but Serena wouldn't let herself fall without style.

"Sylveon, hold Espeon with your ribbons!" yelled Serena.

Sylveon extended her ribbons and grabbed Espeon's feet, catching both her and Amelia off guard. Still in midair, she pulled back and dragged Espeon along, slamming her on the floor face first. But instead of letting go, she held her tighter and dragged her closer. Amelia became scared; what were that girl and Sylveon up to?

"Dazzling Gleam, full power!" Serena exclaimed.

"Syl!" Sylveon's entire body began to glow as she charged her energy. Espeon's eyes became filled with panic, there was no way to get away from that attack.

The Dazzling Gleam exploded in a multicolor light show, blinding everyone from seeing the result. Serena and Amelia remained static until they could see again. Sylveon was standing, tired but smiling, and Espeon lied on the ground, still wrapped around Sylveon's ribbons, who didn't let go of her until she was sure she had taken the full brunt of the attack. Afterwards, she withdrew the ribbons and left her on the ground, leaving her motionless. She had been defeated.

"Espeon is unable to battle! Sylveon wins the match and Serena advances to the next round!"

"It can't be…" Amelia fell to her knees. "Defeated by this girl, again?"

It seemed like the raven-haired girl wanted to break down in tears of rage. Serena wanted to approach and congratulate her for giving a good battle, but she had the feeling that would make her think she was pitying her or something, and that would make it worse. Returning her fallen Espeon, she turned around and ran off without looking back, before anyone could stop her. Serena just shrugged and picked up her Sylveon too, congratulating her on a job well done. As she looked at the stands, she spotted Misty gave her a V-sign and winked at her. Serena responded in kind.

The rounds went by one after the other. In the second, Misty's Politoed had to fight a powerful Nidoking who discreetly set up a Toxic Spikes without nobody noticing (kind of a dirty move, although it wasn't technically illegal). The poison caused many annoyances to Politoed, but when Nidoking almost roasted him with a Hyper Beam, Misty reacted giving Politoed the order to use an Ice Beam to create a path, and sliding on his belly through it to deliver a Headbutt right into his chest, leaving him out cold. Serena had to go through something similar: she faced an Alolan Marowak who began inflicting a burn on Roselia using Will-O-Wisp, and its ability Cursed Body disabled Roselia's strongest attack (Petal Dance), causing complications for the rest of the match. However, Serena could return the favor using the Grass Knot/Poison Powder combo, and a few well-directed Venoshock hits served to turn the tables around. Both girls had advanced to the next round.

The semifinals were even harder for both of them. First, Misty used her Corsola against a powerful Venusaur, and to top it all capable of Mega Evolution, delivering a brutal beating on Corsola. When he began to charge for a Solar Beam, Misty took the chance to use Recover. As soon as the beam was fired, she desperately called for a Mirror Coat to return it. It was a real miracle, but thanks to the Recovery, Corsola was able to miraculously withstand the attack and return it with full interests at her opponent, doing a one-hit-reversal KO. As for Serena, she and Froslass faced an Alolan Sandslash, in a battle of ice vs ice. Summoning a Hailstorm at the start backfired on them, since when she activated Froslass' Snow Veil to hide, she also triggered Sandslash's Slush Rush, boosting its speed, keeping very evenly matched one against the other. Froslass had to take a risk and let herself be hit with a Metal Claw, and in doing so, attacked Sandslash with a Draining Kiss to suck out its energy and replenish her own, enough to deliver a Shadow Ball that gave Serena the victory to move on to the grand finale. Now it was just her and Misty.

"What an exciting tournament! We've seen everything today, and now we've got only the top two participants! Who's going to win, Misty or Serena? Let's give them both a big hand!"

"Hey, Serena, just because we're friends don't think I'll be soft with you!" Misty warned her.

"I wouldn't like it any other way!" the Kalosian replied. "Let's give it our all in this battle!"

Curiously, they were supposed to be rivals, but until now they had never faced one another in any way. This was an excellent way to test each other. Time to see who was the strongest and most skilled for battling. Would the Cerulean Gym Leader prevail, or the Kalos and Kanto Queen would reign supreme?

"Competitors, choose your Pokémon now!" the referee declared.

"The time has come, Gyarados!" said Misty as she kissed the Pokéball. "Go!"

"ROAAAAAAAAAAR!" The blue marine serpent announced himself with his signature ferocious roar. Even though the spectators got scared for a moment, Serena was unfazed, as she was already expecting it.

"Our turn! Delphox, take the stage!" She threw her own Pokéball.

"Phox!" The psychic vulpine appeared on the stage and lit her wand, ready to start the battle. They both would use her strongest Pokémon for this battle.

"Ready?" The referee raised her arms and lowered them immediately. "Begin!"

"Gyarados, start with Hydro Pump!" Misty exclaimed.

"ROAR!" Out of Gyarados jaws came a powerful water torrent. Serena smiled; Misty wasn't fooling around, so she shouldn't do that either.

"Use Psychic to redirect it!" Serena countered.

"Del… phox!"

Focusing, Delphox aimed her wand forward with her wand when the Hydro Pump was about to reach her. With controlled moves, she controlled the water making it circle around herself and sending it back where it came from. Gyarados simply tilted his head slightly to evade his own attack. Misty smiled: in a Pokémon Contest that would have earned her many points, not only deflecting the opponent's attack but using it against them. But this was a traditional battle, and the points didn't count like that.

"Dragon Rage!" Misty shouted. Gyarados began forming an orange energy ball in his maw, ready to launch it."

"Dodge and use Mystical Flame to trap Gyarados!" Serena countered.

When Gyarados fired his attack, Delphox used her psychic powers to give herself a boost and increase the force of her jump, and while in midair used her wand to create a large fire ring. Next, she used her Psychic attack to control the flames and place the ring around Gyarados to trap him, quickly followed by three more, creating some sort of improvised Fire Spin. The control was impressive, but not as much as the explosion it generated when she used Psychic to get the rings to close into themselves in the act, causing Gyarados to roar in pain.

"Impressive," admitted Misty. "But it'll take more than that to beat me. Gyarados, Aqua Tail!"

Gyarados roared and began shaking his tail viciously, splashing the water and trying to hit his opponent with it. Delphox began leaping around to dodge the tail slaps, but in the end Gyarados managed to hit her from above, sending her crashing to the ground.

"Now, Crunch!" Misty yelled. Gyarados coated his fangs in dark energy to deliver a huge bite to his opponent.

"Delphox, get out of there, quick!" Serena desperately ordered.

"Del!"

In the last second, Delphox dodged Gyarados' deadly jaws before he could devour her in a single chomp. The marine serpent chewed a piece of the floor with his attack and swallowed it, like it was tasty. Serena and Delphox shivered at this, and they weren't the only ones; even Misty herself was a little disturbed at this. Gyarados was capable of eating just about anything, or anyone if she didn't stop him. The other reason why she kept him in her active team was precisely to keep an eye on him so he wouldn't get out of his "regular diet".

"Gyarados, Hydro Pump again!" yelled Misty.

"Delphox, Fire Blast!" Serena countered.

Gyarados once again fired a high-pressure water stream, while Delphox summoned a fire kanji. The collision of both attacks caused a huge explosion that brought a large amount of steam all over the place, preventing both the trainers and the crowd to see what was happening.

"Gyarados, disperse the steam with Dragon Rage, over and over again!" Misty yelled.

Gyarados roared and began throwing orange energy spheres one after the other, trying to clear the steam to regain visibility. For a lucky strike, one of them hit Delphox, who didn't see it coming until it was too late. Taking advantage of this, Misty decided to keep pressing and had Gyarados follow with a Hydro Pump while Delphox was still stunned at the previous strike. The stream sent Delphox flying a few meters.

"Delphox!" Serena shouted in worry. Delphox struggled to get back up, and Misty decided to take the chance to end the match.

"Hyper Beam now!" she ordered. Immediately, Gyarados began charging up a large amount of orange energy in his maw.

Serena knew that if this attack landed, it would be the end, though for a split second, she perceived Delphox's thoughts. Since she was a Psychic-type, they had been working on trying to develop a telepathic link to communicate with each other, but they still didn't quite make it, they only managed to connect for brief moments. However, Serena knew what her starter tried to tell her: she wanted to try a combo with her two best Fire-type attacks, which helped her win one of her Pokémon Contests in Sinnoh so long ago. The Kalosian quickly caught her partner's message and nodded in determination.

"Let's do it, Delphox!" she ordered.

Delphox stood up and created the Mystical Flame ring, telekinetically pushing it forward with Psychic, right in the moment Gyarados unleashed the Hyper Beam. Misty thought that was insane: there was no way that attack could stop a Hyper Beam that powerful. And she was right, it couldn't on its own, but next, with her free hand, Delphox waved the wand to create a fire kanji and launched it behind the Mystical Flame, making them both combine in a single flaming blast and still maintaining the psychic control.

"What are you doing?!" Misty gasped.

The Mystical Flame maybe wasn't that powerful on its own, but the additional power of the Fire Blast turned out to be more than a challenge. Gyarados poured every ounce of energy to boost the Hyper Beam, while Delphox focused and kept her hand pushing forward to maintain the psychic hold and push her Mystical Fire Blast (for the lack of a better name) in the opposite direction. Both trainers urged their Pokémon to push with everything they had, and the struggle kept on for several seconds, until both attacks finally exploded, raising an even thicker steam layer than before.

With everyone focused on the fight, and those two focused on defeating each other, J knew it was her time to act. Discreetly, while nobody was watching her, she went behind the stands and covered herself in a dark cloak, also donning her signature shades to conceal her eyes. She had to take the heat just for a while, but it was better not to let herself be identified. Always keep a low profile.

"Gyarados, Dragon Rage!"

"Delphox, Mystical Flame!"

The marine serpent fired several draconian energy spheres at the psychic vulpine, who countered with rings of flame. Seeing long-ranged attacks didn't work, Misty ordered Gyarados get close to use Aqua Tail to try and hit Delphox to bring her down like she did before, but this time Delphox didn't let herself get caught. Using Gyarados' own tail as a springboard, she jumped right to his face and raised her wand, her attack in the ready.

"Fire Blast!" Serena yelled.

"Del… PHOX!"

The fire kanji exploded right in Gyarados' face. Nevertheless, Gyarados didn't let Delphox to leave unscathed, and managed to land an Aqua Tail before falling backwards. Both Pokémon fell in opposite sides, and struggled to get back up. They were reaching their limit; they only had one attack left each. It would decide everything.

"Gyarados, Hyper Beam!"

"Delphox, Fire Blast at full power!"

Both Pokémon prepared their final attacks; this was it. Gyarados charged his jaws with the Hyper Beam's orange energy while Delphox drew with her want one last fire kanji. They were ready to launch them, until…

 _ ***BROOOOOOOOM!***_ Before Gyarados could launch his Hyper Beam, another launched from above hit him sideways and took him down, alerting everyone. At the same time, Delphox took a Sticky Web shot right to her face, and while she tried to take it off a barrage of Pin Missiles rained over her mercilessly.

"What the hell?! Who did that?!" Misty yelled.

People began looking around alarmed, and then a trio of Pokémon, a Drapion, an Ariados and a Salamence, the last of which was being ridden by a hooded figure, whose feet wore what seemed like female high-heeled boots, made their entrance beginning an attack on everyone in the vicinity. People began running away in panic, while Serena and Misty just stood there, confused at what was going on.

They finally reacted when the hooded figure and her Pokémon set their sights in the two of them.

"Serena, run!" Misty cried out as she returned Gyarados. Serena followed suit with Delphox, and both girls began running away from there. However, the hooded figure wasn't planning on letting them get away.

"Get them!" she commanded. Her voice sounded filtered by a modulator to hide her identity, but it was definitely female. "Remember that I need them alive!"

' _Alive?'_ thought Misty. She didn't like the sound of that; was she coming after them specifically? "AAAHHH!"

Something sticky hit her on her back and pushed her to the ground. When she tried to get back up, more sticky blobs fell on her, and she was literally webbed to the floor, unable to move. She could barely turn around to see in horror that the Ariados was coming directly at her.

"NO, NO! GET AWAY FROM ME, NO!" she began screaming. In response, Ariados spat directly on her mouth. "HMFF, HMFF, HMFF!"

"Misty!" Serena cried out.

The redhead turned around at her, and even if she couldn't talk, judging by her expression she was trying to tell Serena to run. The Kalosian had no intention whatsoever of leaving Misty behind, but the Drapion showed up to bombard her with Pin Missiles. As if sensing the danger, Pancham's Pokéball activated and let him out. The small panda didn't wait for any orders and ran to fight the scorpion attacking his trainer, summoning a Stone Edge to turn him around from below.

"Pancham, what are you doing?!"

"Pan, pancham!" Pancham urged her to leave.

Serena didn't know what to do, but none of her other Pokémon was in condition to fight after the tournament. Seeing Drapion getting back up and ready to attack Pancham, Serena ran behind some stands and did the only sound thing she could think of at the moment. She didn't know who her attacker was, or why she was after them, but at the time, that was the best she could do.

"Come out now," she said pulling him out as discreetly as she could. "Oricorio, you have to get out of here. Go find Ash and the others, quickly."

"Ori?" The small bird tilted his head, confused at his master's request. But then, something crashed the stands and upon hearing the moaning, they knew it most likely had been Pancham.

"Hurry, please! Go find Ash before it's too late!" said Serena, half ordering, half begging.

A Flamethrower then destroyed the stands, and Oricorio had to oblige, much to his chagrin, flying off as fast as he could. Serena had the full intention of staying, for she would never leave Misty or Pancham behind. Ariados had completely covered Misty's body in Sticky Web except for her head, and the redhead seemed ready to break into tears at a moment's notice due to the terror, as well as the disgust for the closeness to that creepy spider. Pancham fought bravely against Drapion, but that meant…

"Stay where you are!"

Serena looked over her shoulder and saw the woman riding on her Salamence approaching, the dragon having opened its maw as if trying to bite him. Prey of the panic, the girl tried to run, but Salamence took her down with a wing slap. The woman jumped off her mount and before Serena could get back up, she grabbed her by her blouse collar, lifting her up to eye level, her feet hanging in the air.

"Who are you? Why are you doing this?" asked Serena. In response, the woman raised her other hand, showing a strange gauntlet, giving off sparks in the palm.

"Relax, if you don't struggle this won't hurt… too much," the woman whispered.

And then, she grabbed Serena's arm, unleashing an electric shock and making her cry out in pain. When she decided it was enough, she let go of her and let her drop on the ground. In that very moment, Drapion attacked Pancham with a Cross Poison and sent him crashing against the stage, making his skin turn purple. The woman then looked at Misty, who was too scared with Ariados to try anything. Much better for her, that made things easier.

"Nice work, everyone. You two, return." She recalled Drapion and Ariados. "Salamence, take these two to out hideout and wait for me there. I have one last thing to do here."

Salamence roared and with one paw it grabbed Misty, who now with Ariados gone began flailing around like a worm trying, unsuccessfully to break free, and with the other it grabbed Serena, who was still out cold, taking flight as fast as possible to get the hell out of there. Meanwhile, J pulled out a couple of devices she needed to deliver the message for the brat, before the cops inevitably filled all over the place. She pressed a button in one of them to begin the recording.

"Greetings, Ash Ketchum. Do you remember me? Because I do remember you…"

 _ **To be continued…**_

* * *

 **Author's notes:**

Once again, not many reviews on the previous chapters, but well. I'm still planning on taking this story till the end. Oof, and with this chapter I think I'm forced to up the story's rating to T. If this one's not enough, the next definitely will. Finally Hunter J has made her move, and it should come as no surprise that she attacked Misty and Serena by surprise when most of their Pokémon were exhausted and unable to protect them (no doubt Gyarados would have been the biggest obstacle). I'm sorry I interrupted the battles right when they were getting good, but well, that's how it had to be. It doesn't take a genius to know J is planning on using those two as bait to bring Ash to her trap, but she will soon find out that messing with those girls was the worst mistake she could have made in her life. Ash won't let her escape after this, no way. As some trivia, I originally wasn't planning to include Gladion, but at the suggestion of someone, at first I thought of only giving him a cameo when Lillie gets the call, but as I unfolded the plot with J, I found a way to insert him physically. I think it was better this way.

So well, with this we've officially entered the climax of the story. The resolution of this cliffhanger comes in the next chapter, and then Ash's decision. But before that, nothing like some tension to spice up the story, don't you think so? Next time I'm planning on cutting loose as you can't imagine. More than I did with Alain, to give you an idea.

Before the usual thanks, I have to ask someone who only appears as a **Guest:** are you actually _reading_ the story? In your review for Chapter 5 you were asking for Ash and Misty to have their turn on a date, but they already had done that in Chapter 4 (the part at the coral reef, in case you skipped it or something). Take it slow, otherwise you might miss out stuff. Now then, thanks for the reviews to **SuperSonicBros123, MajorBrony95** and **Alex Ho.** The next update might take a while, since I've started a new career, and I'm really busy with a lot of paperwork (damn those bureaucrats) and stuff I need to sort out, plus the homework I've had to do lately. See ya!


	7. Ash's resolve: You two are dear to me

**Crossroads – Between a Mermaid and a Princess.**

 **By Fox McCloude.**

 **Disclaimer:** Pokémon and all related characters belong to Satoshi Tajiri and Nintendo. All rights reserved.

 **Part 7:** Ash's resolve: You two are dear to me.

* * *

 _ **Melemele Island…**_

By the time Ash and his Pokémon reached the scene, the police had already corded the area and was interrogating the witnesses. Charizard had already returned to his base form, while Ash and Pikachu began looking around everywhere. Oricorio flew towards a Nurse Joy who was tending to a Pancham, whose sunshades, though broken, gave him away as Serena's.

"Ori, ori!" Oricorio started squawking, worried for his teammate.

"What's the matter?" the nurse asked upon seeing him, but he only kept shaking around.

"Nurse Joy!" Ash approached in a rush. "What happened here?"

"There was an all-female tournament being hosted here, but someone attacked during the finals," the nurse explained. "Looks like their goal wasn't the prize money, but to kidnap the two girls who were fighting. This Pancham belonged to one of them. The announcer said their names were Serena and Misty.

"No…" Ash clenched his fist, feeling the increasing worry mixed with a boiling anger. Who could have kidnapped Serena and Misty, and why?

"Ash Ketchum!" he heard Officer Jenny speak through the megaphone. "Is there someone named Ash Ketchum around here?"

"It's me!" he replied. "What's wrong, Officer Jenny?"

"We've been checking out the scene, and we found this. It's addressed to you for some reason."

The policewoman gave him a couple of small devices, along with a folded note saying: _**"Deliver to Ash Ketchum only"**_. One of the devices had a USB connector, but the other, he had no idea what it could be; all it had was a small blinking light and a couple buttons, looking like a remote control to shut gates or cars. Luckily for him, his phone had a USB slot, so maybe the other device would have an answer. He quickly plugged it in and opened it. On the screen appeared a hooded figure, and spoke with a voice clearly filtered through a modulator.

" _ **Greetings, Ash Ketchum. Do you remember me? Because I do remember you. After all, it's hard to forget the person responsible for me almost dying in Lake Valor so many years ago."**_

"Lake Valor?" Ash suddenly wondered aloud. But then he started thinking and bit by bit, the memories came back. "No… it can't be her."

The woman continued to talk through the message. _ **"I have no idea how I survived that. But if I did, I figure there must be a reason. I never imagined that I would end up meeting the brat who ruined my life, and I think it's time for us to settle that score. This is the deal. If you want to see your little girlfriends again, all you have to do is using the tracker I left along with this message to find you. I would imagine that I don't need to tell you to come alone, otherwise… something bad could happen to them. Until then, the clock's ticking. Until we see each other."**_

And the message ended. So the other device was a tracker, so he could find her. Officer Jenny watched it with interest; whoever that woman was, she had some unfinished business with Ash, and wanted to use Misty and Serena as bargaining chips so he wouldn't refuse. Ash, however, knew exactly who she was.

"I'm afraid you'll have to come with me to the police station," said Jenny. "I don't know how, but considering that you seem to be in the middle of all this, we'll have to ask for your assistance in this."

"That's fine with me, but first, can I call my friends?" asked Ash. "This concerns them too, and maybe we can ask them for help."

Jenny agreed, and Ash immediately quick-dialed Lillie's number to let her know about what had happened. Once upon a time, he would have gone headfirst to try and rescue them by himself, but even if he was sure that he and his Pokémon could handle anything, if _she_ was involved, he couldn't push his luck. There was only one thought in his mind as he heard the call tone.

' _This can't be happening… how could Hunter J survive that?'_

* * *

 _ **At the same time, somewhere outside of Melemele Island…**_

Where was she? What had happened? As she opened her eyes, Serena's recent memories began returning to her mind in quick succession: she was in the middle of an exciting yet friendly battle with Misty, until someone, a hooded woman on a Salamence, along with an Ariados and a Drapion broke into the stage and attacked them. The last thing she knew was that this woman went to grab her personally and electrocuted her to leave her unconscious. Looking at her surroundings, she realized she was trapped in some sort of glass tank, with no other company than a Misty who was in the same conditions. She still had some leftovers of Sticky Web in her clothes, although it had almost dissolved. Something else se noticed, each of them had one of her feet shackled to the tank's floor, the chain only long enough for them to move around a little.

"You finally woke up," Misty said in a weary voice. "You alright?"

"I think so," Serena replied. "Where are we?"

"That Salamence flew us out of Melemele Island, but it was too fast and I couldn't see anything until we got here. Serena looked around, and her first thought was to try and pound on the glass walls. "Don't bother, I already tried."

Even so, Serena still tried to pound and kick the walls, but all she got was getting her hands and feet hurting. That was no ordinary glass, it was almost as hard as steel, maybe more. In that very instant, they heard a flapping, and saw as the hooded woman approached, flying on her Salamence's back. Misty stood up and went to face her through the transparent wall.

"Oh, so the Sleeping Beauty finally awoke from her slumber?" she said in a mocking tone. They both noticed she wasn't using her voice modulator anymore. "Did you have a good nap?"

"Who are you, and why did you kidnap us?" asked Serena. "What have we done to you?"

"You two? Nothing at all, I admit, but I have to settle a score with someone you know. I'm just making sure he'll come, so we can sort everything out."

"What are you talking about?" asked Misty. In response, the woman lowered her hood and took of her glasses, revealing a short silver hair and blue eyes with such an icy shade, they actually sent a chill down both girls' spines.

"I guess it'll do no harm for you to know this. I've gone through several aliases, but I'm mostly known as Pokémon Hunter J. Or at least, that's what I used to be called, a few years ago."

"Pokémon Hunter?" Misty and Serena didn't like the sound of that.

"I used to make a living by capturing rare and valuable Pokémon, to sell them to the highest bidder," J continued. "It was quite a profit, do you know how much money you can win in the black market with certain particular Pokémon?"

"That's horrible," said Serena, and Misty agreed. "Pokémon are sentient beings, not objects you can use as trading goods."

"We all have to earn our keep somehow," the Hunter argued. "In any case, my business was quite successful, until I ran into a certain brat in Sinnoh. I can see you two get along very well with him. And I find hard to believe that he's come such a long way since then."

"What are you…? Wait a minute… are you talking about Ash?" Misty quickly pieced everything together, and J's evil grin told her she was right.

"Back then, she was nothing but a simple brat, although admittedly he had a special knack for ruining my plans." J's smile became more sarcastic. "And I don't know how, but I'm sure he had something to do with those Lake Guardian Pokémon using Future Sight to bring my ship down. I was _this_ close of ending up dead."

Serena and Misty exchanged glances. It didn't take a genius to know what they were thinking; J was blaming Ash for something she clearly brought upon herself. Then again, they were dealing with someone who apparently was a very dangerous criminal, so it wasn't that weird, but they didn't say it out loud. They were in no position to threaten or provoke her in any way.

"I ended up floating adrift, until an Alolan ship picked me up. When I could finally return to the civilization, I found that almost all of my bank accounts and assets had been completely frozen. I lost almost everything because of that brat. Do you have any idea what it's like, to pretend I'm a model citizen all these years?! It's humiliating, to stoop _this_ low!"

"I'd be grateful to be alive in your stead," said Misty. "And I don't get what we have to do in all this."

"That's what I was getting to," said J, not even puzzled at Misty's interruption. "I'd love to settle my scores with him, but I've been watching him. With those Pokémon he has at his disposal, it would be too hard to fight against him directly. So well, that's where you two come in, you get my drift?"

Misty and Serena once again looked at each other. If this woman had met Ash during her journeys through Sinnoh, it was almost unbelievable that she could have held a grudge for so long. None of them could deny Ash had a special knack for foiling criminal plans of any kind, but she never imagined there could be someone out there looking for revenge on her for that.

"I don't think they'll go anywhere, but in any case…"

J grabbed a Pokébola and opened it, revealing none other than Misty's Gyarados. He was already healed from the damage he had sustained in the battle against Serena's Delphox, but something was off with him. His eyes were blank, his stare was empty, and not to mention the device he had on top of his head. The real shock came when he didn't do anything when J approached to touch him, like he was her pet.

"Impressive, this Gyarados of yours has been very well trained," she said. "I could sell it for a hefty sum, but to be honest, I'm very tempted to keep it to myself."

"You bitch, don't you dare!" Misty yelled, as she banged the wall with her fists. "Gyarados, get us out of here!"

"Don't bother," said J, and effectively, Gyarados didn't even budge at Misty's voice. "It won't listen to your commands."

"What do you mean?" asked Misty.

"Misty, look at his head," Serena pointed. Misty looked at the device Gyarados was wearing on his head, emitting some strange lights.

"It's amazing what you can do with some reverse engineering and the right components," said J. "Pity they're so hard to come by in this backwater region, and I could only build one, but with a Pokémon like this one, that's all I need. Your Gyarados won't listen to anyone, other than me."

"You criminal bitch, give me back my Gyarados!" Misty began yelling again, banging on the glass in a rage.

"When Ash finds out we're here, you're going to regret this!" Serena added, trying to hide the terror she felt inside. "He'll find us, you'll see!"

"Oh, and I'm counting on it," J replied without skipping a beat. "Gyarados, watch them closely, in case they try something. Though in any case, without their Pokémon, it's not like they can do much to get out of there, can they?"

J turned around, leaving them alone with Gyarados. Misty couldn't believe this. She hadn't been afraid of Gyarados since one of them almost ate her as a baby. She had worked hard to get him to obey her and turn him into the strongest of her Pokémon. To think someone else was controlling him to put him against her, that was like a tenfold return of that terror she used to feel. Serena was in no better condition: with all the experience she had earned as a Pokémon Coordinator and Performer, she felt like she had finally gotten strength and self-confidence, that she was no longer a hopeless, vulnerable girl. She didn't want to feel like that again, like she was doing now.

And there was something else they shared at the time: a strange conflict of emotions, between worry about knowing Hunter J intended to use them as bait to lure Ash, and wishing for him to come to rescue them. None of them liked the idea of being the "distressed damsel", but at the time, all they could do was to hope and wait for him to come for them.

* * *

 _ **Melemele Police Station…**_

It goes without saying that Ash's friends were quite shocked to be summoned at the local police station. Ash told Lillie to bring everyone, so he could explain them all at once. The less he had to tell that story he dreaded to remember, the better. Fortunately, by that time Gladion had gotten in touch with Mallow at the restaurant, and she helped in getting Lana. Lillie was at the school with Kiawe when Ash called the former, so they immediately headed over there as soon as they called. With everyone gathered, Ash began telling the story:

"I don't know her real name, all I know is that she called herself Pokémon Hunter J. She was a criminal from the Sinnoh region who dedicated herself to stealing rare and valuable Pokémon to sell them in the black market."

"I think I've heard a bit of her, she was very well-known in the criminal underworld," said Officer Jenny. "But a few years ago, she vanished from the radar and nobody knew more about her. Did you really face against her?"

"Several times, actually, and you won't believe what she tried to pull off in our last encounter." Ash's expression turned somber. "Have you guys heard of the Legendary Pokémon residing in the Great Lakes of Sinnoh?"

Apparently, most of them had heard about them. Fortunately, at the time, a red floating device popped out of Sophocles' backpack. A very familiar one, save for the fact it was bigger and the "wings" extended were a bit larger and ended in some sort of blades, very similar to that of a Scyther, but made of a transparent energy.

" **Uxie, Mesprit and Azelf. It is said these three Pokémon embody the spirit of all consciousness. Uxie is the embodiment of knowledge, Mesprit of emotion, and Azelf of willpower. According to legends, the three were created by Arceus and wield the power to tame the dragons who control time and space."**

"Rotom? Is that you?" said Ash upon seeing it. Pikachu seemed surprised.

" **Greetings, Ash, it's good to see you after so long. I am the Rotom Dex Mark-II, at your service,"** the device respectfully greeted him. **"During these years, I requested to get some improvements, to be able to assist in combat should the need arise. I hope I can be of help."**

"Wow, that's convenient, thanks," said Ash. "Now, where was I? Oh, yeah. Like I was saying, J tried to capture the three Lake Guardians from Sinnoh, at the request of Team Galactic. But before they were captured, they used a delayed Future Sight attack to get her ship to sink into Lake Valor as she tried to escape. The ship was swallowed by a whirlpool and exploded, so…"

Everybody nodded as they understood what he meant. It was unlikely, if not impossible, for someone to survive something like that, so it was natural that he would consider her dead. But she wasn't, and now she was back with a vengeance. The next thing they did was replaying J's message, which was very clear about one thing: she wanted Ash to come alone to face her, otherwise Misty and Serena would pay the consequences. Thus she had left him the other device, the tracker.

"So, what do you plan to do?" Kiawe asked. "Surely you're not thinking of giving in to her demands, are you? This definitely smells like a trap, and she's clearly using your friends as bait."

"I know," said Ash. "But at least for now… I think I should do what she says. I better go alone."

"WHAT?!" Everyone gasped at this.

"Ash, no offense, but that's crazy," said Lillie. "You can't go without someone to watch your back."

"And who says I won't?" replied Ash. He grabbed one of his Pokéballs to illustrate. "I've got my full Pokémon team with me, and J can't say anything about it. When she told me to go alone, she meant "no human company", get it?"

"I don't get it," said Sophocles.

"To J, Pokémon are little more than tools or trading goods," Ash explained with bitterness. "She doesn't hold them the same way we do, as in, she doesn't see them as living beings. All she cares about is the benefit they bring her. To her, their value is measured in money or how they can be of use to her."

Everyone present exchanged glances amongst each other. In particular, Gladion and Lillie were _horrified_ to hear that. It sounded even worse than the way their mother behaved under Nihilego's influence, except that this J woman, if Ash was saying the truth, didn't need any Ultra Beast infection. She was evil by nature, and not only she knew it, she embraced and proudly showed it.

"The plan will be, first I'll go face her alone wherever she is, as she demanded. But you guys remain in wait, and be ready to catch her if she tries to escape."

"Count on me. That Pokémon thief won't get away with this," said Kiawe.

"Treating Pokémon like trading goods… that's unforgivable," added Lana.

"We'll do everything in our power to help you," said Sophocles. "Furthermore, with that tracking device, I'm sure I can make a program to triangulate her position, so we can make a perimeter and prevent her escape."

"Misty and Serena are your friends, and also ours. We have to save them at any cost," said Lillie.

"Consider this our way to thank you for what you did for our mother so many years ago," concluded Gladion.

Ash smiled in gratitude. It was really encouraging to have so many friends willing to help him. He knew that he couldn't face against J by himself (even with his best Pokémon team), but with the others as a backup, he felt much braver and stronger.

"Alright, in that case, I think it's time to lay out our plans." Jenny pulled out a map of the main island along with the rest of the lesser ones nearby. "If that J woman wants you to go after her, it's unlikely that she's gone too far away. We can still catch her."

While Jenny explained what they would do, everyone listened closely. Everyone except Ash, of course, since the black-haired young man had his mind somewhere else. Specifically with Serena and Misty. Outwardly he tried to stay calm, but inside he felt he was about to explode in anger. Hunter J being alive was a nightmare come true in and itself, since she was among the very few people whom Ash would judge as completely evil and irredeemable, people whose deaths he would never mourn. But having messed with his two closest female friends to get to him… he would never forgive her for that.

' _Misty, Serena… please hang in there. I'll rescue you, whatever it takes.'_

* * *

 _ **The following day…**_

Despite Ash's protests, they were unable to begin the rescue operation until the dawn of the next day. Officer Jenny assured him that she understood his worry for his friends, but he had to cool off. Ash barely got any sleep that night; his head was fixated on whether Misty and Serena were alright, and trying not to imagine what a woman like Hunter J would do to them. He was a little relieved to see that the others didn't go to sleep themselves, either because they wanted to offer him some moral support, or in Sophocles's case, to design the program to triangulate the signal of the tracker J had left for Ash, and thus find her location. It wasn't easy, since the signal was in a frequency hard to intercept (most likely intentional), but even if he couldn't pinpoint the exact location, the young programmer was able to narrow the area to a five-mile radius, in a small set of lesser islands southwest of Melemele. She was bound to be hiding over there, and that was enough to get the police and the Alolan coastal guard to establish a perimeter and cut off any possible escape route.

Which was exactly what they were doing at the time. Ash and his friends were now on a boat, getting as close as they could, but keeping a safe distance so J couldn't know Ash brought backup rather than coming to face her alone. The plan was to approach enough for Ash to get on one of his Pokémon's back, give him a 4-hour head start to find his friends, and if they didn't have any news of him during that time, they'd get into the action.

"This is as close as we can bring you," said Officer Jenny, by the ship's helm. Everyone else was there as well.

"This should be enough," said Ash, gazing at the horizon and grabbing two of his Pokéballs. "Charizard, Pidgeot, I choose you!"

The bird and the winged lizard appeared, ready to act. Ash mounted on Charizard, while Pikachu followed suit on Pidgeot, so as to have an additional pair of eyes to look out for any trap while they searched for Misty and Serena. Rotom would come along too. Aside from the offensive capacities, he had been equipped with a two-way communication system to get in touch with the others. Even with the tracking device, there was still the chance it could be a setup, so they had to go cautiously.

"Good luck, Ash, be careful out there," said Kiawe.

"I will. I'm counting on you guys if something goes wrong," said Ash. "Let's go."

Charizard and Pidgeot took off, leaving the boat behind. Ash looked back and saw many more boats getting into position, forming the perimeter to prevent Hunter J's hypothetical escape. The others remained at the boat, some of them annoyed for having to wait to act (they hated waiting) while others expressed worry for Ash.

"Do you think he'll be fine on his own?" asked Mallow.

"He's not on his own. With his Pokémon and Rotom watching his back, nothing can go wrong," said Sophocles.

"Saying that is a tantamount to get _everything_ to go wrong," said Kiawe. "I hate that we have to stay here instead of helping him."

"We should trust him," intervened Gladion. "Ash is a good trainer, surely he'll know what to do no matter what happens."

"How about that I get close underwater with Lapras? That way I won't be spotted and I could help," Lana suggested.

"Better not yet," said Lillie. "My brother is right, we should trust him."

For now, that was all they could do, wait. To leave everything in the hands of Ash and his Pokémon, and hope for the best. If needed, they would act too. They wouldn't allow that Hunter J to hurt Ash's friends in any way.

Meanwhile, while Ash soared over the sea exploring the area, somebody else noticed what he was doing, watching him from afar and out of everyone's sight. Somebody whom he had met many years ago, the one responsible for giving him his current Z-Ring. From the start, he had always found this boy interesting, which was why he had given him the ring in the first place, but now, he seemed to need a hand with a problem. Well, technically, he _didn't_ have hands, but he could keep an eye on him, and helping him a little if needed. Maybe it would be fun and all.

* * *

 _ **Minutes later…**_

After flying over the islands one by one, Ash tried to fly lower to get to see where Hunter J could be hiding. Even with Pidgeot's Keen Eye and Rotom's visual sensors weren't of too much help, since all islands were full of forests so thick, that looking from above seemed useless. The only viable means seemed to follow the tracking device's beeping, as they grew closer. Flying over one of the islands, it became louder and louder, until it almost became continuous… and then without warning, it turned off.

"What the…?" said Ash, pushing it, but it didn't respond. "Damn it, what's wrong with this thing?"

Looking down below, he saw the island he was flying over. It seemed there was no choice but to descend and start searching the all fashioned way. Maybe J intentionally had given him the tracker with a limited battery charge so he wouldn't find her that easily. It would make sense; that woman wouldn't want to get caught.

"Charizard, let's go down. Pidgeot, Pikachu, you come with us!" Ash called.

Charizard complied and went to land on the island. Pidgeot followed, with Pikachu still on his back, and after making sure there was no danger, Ash took the remaining Pokéballs, letting them all out. The moment of truth had come.

"Listen everyone. Charizard and Pidgeot, you two keep flying over the island and search from the sky. Sceptile and Tyranitar, get into the forest on your own and fire an attack upwards to alert us if you find something. Pikachu, Greninja and Rotom, you guys are coming with me."

All Pokémon nodded. The two flyers once again took off and began exploring from the air. The tree lizard and the rock dinosaur went each on his own way to take an edge of the forest, and Ash went in through the center, Pikachu over his shoulder, Rotom floating in front of them to act as an early warning system, and Greninja walking beside him to act as a bodyguard. There was no time to lose.

The forests in this island seemed the thickest of all. Once Ash got inside, the vegetation was so bushy, it made him harder and harder to see his path. For a moment, he thought about calling out to Serena and Misty, but not being sure what kind of Pokémon there would be in this island, and to avoid alerting Hunter J, he decided not to.

" **Alert, Vikavolt swarms approaching ahead,"** Rotom warned them.

"That won't stop us," said Ash with determination. "Pikachu, Greninja, attack!"

The mouse and the frog leaped forward, the first letting out sparks and the second grabbing a pair of shurikens. Greninja went ahead to attack throwing his stars, making them explode and splash all over everyone close. Pikachu immediately followed with a Thunderbolt, which quickly spread out to the rest of the group. Even though they were all Electric-types, the water amplified the attack and quickly forced the swarm to spread out, giving them a clear way to pass through and move forward. Rotom also helped giving a spread out Discharge to keep them at bay when they tried to come back for more from behind.

While they defended well, soon enough the swarm was too big for them, and when they tried to fly on them all at once, they had to hide inside a river and let them pass over. Once the field was clear, Ash went back out and verified that they were far enough.

"Rotom, do you think you can scan the area?" asked Ash.

" **Scanning… multiple Pokémon signals detected, and the dense vegetation interferes with my sensors,"** said the living artifact. **"I can feel some human signals northwest of our position, but I can't be sure it is what we're looking for."**

"Well, we've got nothing to lose. Let's go."

With Rotom in front to guide them (he was like a living compass), they continued in that same direction. Rotom's sensors could feel them closer, and he confirmed three human life signals once he was within range. No doubt; those had to be Misty, Serena and Hunter J. Once upon a time, Ash would have charged forward to try and rescue them, but he wouldn't take any chances that the Hunter would do something to them. Carefully making his way through, he got near of a clearing, and then he saw them.

Hunter J was resting against a tree, adjusting some sort of gauntlet, along with her three just as he remembered them: her Salamence, Ariados and Drapion. Serena and Misty were trapped in some sort of glass tank, and next to them was none other than Gyarados. If he wasn't doing anything to free them, maybe J had done something to him. He was too close; he couldn't risk for J to notice his presence.

"OK… let's split up and attack her by surprise on my mark," Ash said to his Pokémon. "I'll try to get behind J and sneak up on her."

Everyone nodded, and they got around the clearing. Ash climbed up a tree trying not to make any noise, waiting for the moment to jump on Hunter J. As he got closer, he could notice that his friends seemed to be rather well; they didn't seem to be hurt, and if they were scared, they were able to hide it well. Alright, he better keep that way.

"Pek, pek!"

"What the hell?" Ash muttered. "No, get out, not now!"

Too bad for him; there was a Pikipek living in that tree, and it didn't like him invading his place. To make things worse, more of them arrived shortly.

"No, why now of all time!" Ash exclaimed, and unfortunately, they forced him to give a false step, causing the branch where he was standing to crack. As expected, this quickly alerted J.

"Ariados, Sticky Web!" she shouted.

The spider immediately fired off some sticky globs right when Ash was trying to get back, up, and before he realized he had been plastered against the tree's trunk.

"Ash!" Misty and Serena yelled upon seeing him.

"Well, well, you got here earlier than I expected," the Hunter said. "I see you were foolish enough to come alone to save your little girlfriends."

"You're wrong, I didn't come alone. NOW!" Ash yelled.

Two electric discharges and a Water Shuriken immediately rained over J's Pokémon, who jumped to dodge just at they had been alerted. Pikachu took his chance to launch a Thunderbolt skywards so it would act as a flare to alert the rest of Ash's Pokémon to come and help them.

"Don't stand there, attack them!" J exclaimed.

Serena and Misty got up against the tank's walls, watching what unfolded. Pikachu began attacking Salamence, while Greninja fought against Drapion. Rotom tried to fight Ariados, and managed to hold his own for a bit, until Ariados fired a Sticky Web glob and got him in the same situation as Ash, thus allowing Ariados to go help Drapion against Greninja. At the same time, Ash struggled trying to get out of his own Sticky Web, though unsuccessfully. Hunter J took advantage of having everything under control, and approached him.

"So we meet again at long last, brat. Well, you've grown quite a bit since our last encounter."

"It's good to see you too," Ash deadpanned. "What, have you been on your criminal deeds in secret all this time?"

In response, Hunter J gave him a hard slap, leaving quite the mark due to having given it with the shock gauntlet, much harder than a normal hand.

"You ruined my life. I lost almost everything because of you. My money, my stability, my equipment… do you have any idea what I had to do to survive all these years?! IT HASN'T PASSED ONE DAY THAT I DON'T REMEMBER HOW I ALMOST DIED IN THAT LAKE!"

"And that's my fault, how?" Ash replied, unfazed. "You were the one who tried to steal those Pokémon. You were the criminal meddling with something you shouldn't have, and paid the consequences."

"Then now you'll pay yours." J pressed a button in her gauntlet's wrist. "Since it was you who took my old life away from me… how would you like that I took something important away from you?"

"What are you saying?" asked Ash. He had the feeling he wouldn't like this one bit.

"Those two girls over there, they're your friends, right? Or something else, if I had to guess. Point is, they're very dear to you, am I right?"

Ash's expression quickly went blank, and his face became pale. He knew perfectly what J meant. No, he couldn't allow that, no way.

"No… please, you can do anything to me, but let them go. They have nothing to do with this," he said.

"Oh, so you're begging for them?" J mocked him, getting her wrist close to her mouth. "Let's see how you feel when they die in front of your eyes, all the while helpless to do anything to prevent it. Gyarados… use Hydro Pump to fill that tank."

And then, Gyarados complied, placing his head above the tank, letting out a constant water stream, much to the horror of Ash and the girls inside. So that was her plan from the start, to drown them and have Ash watch it.

"No… no! NO! STOP IT!" Ash yelled, struggling to break free. "PIKACHU, GRENINJA, DO SOMETHING, QUICK!"

"ASH! SHE'S CONTROLLING GYARADOS WITH THAT THING ON HIS HE…!"

Misty didn't get to finish the sentence before the water fully covered her, but with the first syllable, Ash quickly glanced at the strange "diadem" thingy Gyarados had on his head, and how it gave off sparks when J spoke through her gadget. Now the chains on their feet served a purpose, it was to ensure they would be unable to swim to the surface to breathe, and they began banging on the glass, even if they knew they couldn't break it. Gyarados didn't stop, he kept pouring water even after fully covering them until the tank was full, while Ash's Pokémon were still fighting and unable to go to aid their trainer or the girls. Drapion had Pikachu pinned with its pincers and threatened him with the tail, while Ariados had fired Sticky Web to Greninja's feet to hold him in place, as he tried to use his Night Slash blades to break free, but was too busy using them to hold back the spider's ferocious assault. Fortunately, the air cavalry arrived right then.

"CHAR!" With a powerful roar, a Flamethrower from the sky roasted Ariados, and Ash's Charizard made his presence known. Ariados, however, managed to endure the fire, and despite being affected, stared back at the newly arrived.

"Charizard, do something to break that tank!" Ash yelled. "Get them out of there, quick!"

"Oh no, you don't!" J once again spoke through her gauntlet. "Gyarados, hold that Charizard and don't let it get close!"

And without wasting a second, Gyarados began attacking Charizard firing out Hydro Pump streams. Serena and Misty tried to hold their breath, but the Kalosian seemed to be reaching her limit. The Cerulean Gym Leader could only hold out a little more thanks to her swimmer training, but she couldn't last forever. Ash's mind began racing at lightning speed, especially when one of Gyarados' Hydro Pumps blasted Charizard head on and brought him down, although he quickly recovered.

"Charizard, that thing on Gyarados' head, rip it out first!" Ash yelled in a fit of desperation.

Charizard flew up again, and trying his best to dodge the Hydro Pump's torrents, he finally got on top of Gyarados' head, trying to pull the gadget. But it wasn't easy: not only it was firmly in place, but it also gave electric shocks, afflicting them both when Charizard tried to pull it out.

"Did you really think I wouldn't have any failsafes in it?" Hunter J sneered. "It won't be that easy to rip out, Rest easy, though. As soon as they're gone… you'll follow them shortly."

"Damn it…" Ash muttered through his teeth, seeing how Serena almost didn't move, while Misty seemed to be trying to hold in place the little bit of air she still had in her lungs.

This couldn't be happening. They didn't deserve to die like that, not because of him. Why did J have to drag them to this? Why couldn't she go only after _him_? They had nothing to do with what happened to her. It was him, the one who ruined J's plans, and while he regretted nothing (J being a criminal and all), if there was any consequence, he should be the one facing it, nobody else. The frustration of being there, immobilized, unable to do anything to save them, to protect them from that woman… soon made way to great rage. An unstoppable rage, focused on the one responsible of all this. That woman… she had to pay. He had to _make_ her pay.

"Grr… RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!"

Simultaneously, the eyes of both Ash and Greninja adopted a reddish glow. That was all J could see, but she couldn't actually know what was happening inside them. The Bond Phenomenon was a two-way system, a perfect synchronization making the feelings of both trainer and Pokémon to merge into one, which was the source of their power. But that didn't include positive feelings only, like determination to win, or friendship. Pain, anger or suffering, they could feel that too. Ash's pain was Greninja's too. Ash's anger was also Greninja's anger. When Ash was suffering for a loved one, like now, Greninja could feel it too. And that… was also a source of power, of a different power.

"Gre… nin… JAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

A blue energy explosion surrounded Greninja, dissipating the Sticky Web holding him in place, and breaking him free on the spot. The frog was surrounded by the water veil, which started giving off pseudo-electric sparks, just like in the fight with Alain. Except that this time, instead of blue, they were red, a bit wilder and more erratic, giving him a more aggressive and dangerous vibe.

"What the hell?" Hunter J exclaimed, and then she noticed something else.

Greninja wasn't the only one to break free; Ash had done so as well, and his eyes, like those of his Pokémon, had taken a red glow. Something J could have never predicted, was that the Bond Phenomenon worked both ways on a deeper level than many thought. Meaning that, if Greninja could get some of his strength from Ash, it was only logical that some of Greninja's power would sweep into Ash, even if it couldn't manifest in the same fashion (due to being human). The hunter saw in shock how the ninja frog flash-stepped up to the tank, pulling out his giant Water Shuriken, froze it with an Ice Punch, and began striking at the tank's wall as hard as he could, while Ash imitated his movements.

"That won't do any good!" J yelled. "It's armored bulletproof glass, there's no way you'll…"

And then she realized. The shuriken's tip had actually begun cracking the tank's wall, and without ceasing his attack, he continued to strike at that point to make it bigger. She couldn't believe it, how could they be breaking through such a hard material?!

"AAAAAAARRRGGHHH!"

And with that last blow, the cracks quickly spread out through the rest of the wall, and the water pressure did the rest, emptying the tank. The water torrent almost dragged Greninja along, but he foresaw it and jumped to dodge. With the water gone, Misty began coughing and spitting out, gasping for air.

"Serena!" She checked on her friend, pressing on her stomach to get her to spit out the water she had swallowed. "Come on, don't go dying on me!"

"Gulp! Ow…" Serena slowly got back on her feet, placing her hands on her throat. "What in the… Ash? What's going on?"

Ash didn't reply; simultaneously he and Greninja delivered a glare towards the one responsible for all this. His friends were safe, but that wasn't enough. That woman had to pay for what she did. His eyes still bloodshot in pure anger, Greninja raised his Ice Shuriken above his head, making it clear that she was next. And if that Shuriken could break through the armored glass wall…"

"Don't you just stand there, you fools, protect your mistress!" Hunter J yelled, with a voice filled with panic she had never, ever in her life, used before.

Salamence, Drapion and Ariados placed themselves between Greninja and J, fully intending to protect her. While Charizard could finally remove (after _a lot_ of effort) the control device from Gyarados, both the marine serpent and the flying lizard slumped on the ground, the former due to a shock to his system due to the brusque removal of the device, and the latter because he was unable to take the discharges anymore and was left exhausted (he could have endured it better in his Mega Form). Too bad, because they were about to miss out the fun.

Ariados was the first to try it, trying to immobilize Greninja with its Sticky Web, firing out larger globs than before, but all of them ended up being cut with quick and accurate slashes, never leaving a single leftover. The spider's eyes widened upon seeing the frog approaching it, and the next thing it new was that it received a vertical slash from below, which sent it to fall belly up. But that wasn't all: Greninja jumped on it and using Aerial Ace landed a double kick on its belly, expelling all its air and something else. Then, for good measure, Greninja grabbed its feet and threw it against its teammates. Salamence had to deflect it with a wing slap, sending it crashing into a tree, and after that, Ariados didn't get back up.

Serena and Misty exchanged glances of shock and horror. The Kalosian, especially, since she had witnessed the Bond Phenomenon many a time, but never this violent or aggressive. Ash's grunting and screaming in rage, clearly expressing sheer anger, didn't help either. And obviously they weren't the only ones: Hunter J was left in a shock upon seeing how he had defeated one of her Pokémon that easily. For the first time, she was experiencing something she had never imagined, and she didn't like it.

Drapion was the next to react, charging with its pincers coated in venomous energy, which Greninja fought back with his own blades, savagely striking until the purple glow stopped. In a fit of desperation, it tried to sting him with the tail, but Greninja sidestepped not only to dodge, but to grab it, much to Drapion's shock. And with a hard pull, Greninja lifted Drapion over his head to slam it on the floor. And then again, face first. And again, once, twice, thrice to start spinning it around. J was left with her mouth agape. Her Drapion weighed at least twice as average, yet this Greninja was capable of shaking him around like a ragdoll with impossible ease. Salamence tried to rush and attack, and all it got for its trouble was receiving a strike with Drapion used as a living mace, causing it to crash to a side. Greninja threw his foe away, leaving it slumped on the ground. J, still unsure as to what was happening, decided to take a different approach.

"SALAMENCE, FORGET ABOUT THE GRENINJA! HYPER BEAM AGAINST THE BRAT!" she voiced in desperation.

"DON'T!" Serena and Misty yelled, still trying to break free from the chains in their feet, and furious at being helpless to do anything.

Salamence flew at a safe distance and began charging the Hyper Beam. The girls began yelling at Ash to step away, but he didn't even flinch. When Salamence fired its attack, Greninja appeared in front of Ash and materialized a giant Water Shuriken, which he froze with another Ice Punch before placing it in the path of the attack, preventing it from hitting Ash, and enduring it until Salamence was unable to keep it up any longer. The shuriken was a little cracked, but otherwise undamaged. Salamence was drained out by the effort, and was helpless to do anything when Greninja threw it at full force. Being solid it hit much harder, not to mention that any Dragon/Flying-type Pokémon had a natural aversion for the ice. Salamence fell on its back, and Greninja appeared above, landing a kneecap with Aerial Ace in its stomach. The dragon felt at least five or six ribs broken, aside from blowing all the air out of it. Salamence then saw Greninja's furious eyes, holding another Shuriken over his head and freezing solid, to savagely strike him in the face until he finally stopped moving, barely breathing.

J couldn't believe what she had just seen. That Greninja… defeated her three Pokémon like they were nothing. That wasn't a battle; he had literally wiped the floor without mercy. But that was nothing compared to what came now. Simultaneously, Ash and Greninja's eyes became fixated on her, still with that raging red glow, and that look of hatred clearly saying "You're next". Then she came to another realization: without her Pokémon, she had nobody she could hide behind for protection. Never in her life had she experienced that kind of terror, like a prey about to be devoured by a predator. She was no longer the hunter, now she was the hunted.

"RAAAAAAAARRGHH!" Ash yelled, and Greninja began rushing toward J, still with the Shuriken in hand.

"ASH, NO! DON'T DO IT!" Misty and Serena yelled. The woman was evil, but they didn't want Ash and Greninja to become murderers.

Greninja didn't stop, despite the cries of Serena and Misty. At the time, the only thought inside their minds, was that Hunter J had to pay for what she did. Pikachu, for his part, was too shocked at what he saw to think clearly, and he just froze up. J was left paralyzed in terror and all she was able to do was cover her face with her hands when she saw Greninja raising his weapon, ready to deliver the fatal blow…

…which never came. A few seconds later, J suddenly noticed she hadn't been stuck, impaled, sliced in half, or anything of the sort. When she finally dared to look, she realized Greninja had stopped just before the tip of the shuriken pierced through her head, and the water veil with the pseudo-electric sparks were all but gone. As well as that red glow in their eyes, that one which had given her so much terror to just look at. And not just on Greninja, Ash also looked similar. He had been left frozen in place, and his eyes went dull. Then, unexplainably, the trainer collapsed on his knees and slumped on the ground for no apparent reason, almost at the same time as the frog. Suddenly, the terror of them murdering J on the spot was gone as fast as it came.

Now with Ash and Ash and Greninja on the ground, the only thought in the heads of Pikachu, Serena and Misty was: "What the hell had just happened?" Hunter J was in a similar state, mixed with the terror of having been _this_ close of not living through it. Never in her life she had felt that sensation, except that one time in Lake Valor… and she didn't like it one bit.

"Pidgoooooooooo!"

A squawk and a flapping made their presence known. Pidgeot then showed up, followed shortly by Tyranitar and Sceptile, making their way through the trees (the first bringing them down, and the second jumping over them). The three quickly began looking around the clearing. Serena and Misty were soaked to the bone, and their feet chained to the floor of that broken tank; Ash, Greninja, Charizard and Gyarados unconscious, a Pikachu completely dumbfounded; three they didn't recognize, a Salamence, a Drapion and an Ariados, all with them with clear marks of having taken a brutal beating… and a trembling woman who definitely had to be the one they were looking for. Hunter J in person, that had to be her.

The arrival of these three new Pokémon made J's brain to get back and running again. With the scarce weaponry she had, there was no way to fight them all off. Her only chance now was to run, as much as she hated it. She grabbed from her belt a flash grenade, and donning her shades, she got ready to throw it.

"To hell with all this! My revenge can wait a little longer!" she yelled, throwing the explosive.

The grenade exploded in a blinding light, and everyone cried out at the flash. Pidgeot was the only one who managed to regain his eyesight quickly, and thanks to his Keen Eye ability he saw the hunter had begun running for it. The bird took flight and tried to chase after her between the trees, but the hunter still had a couple tricks up her sleeve. When she spotted her chaser, she placed a cartridge in her gauntlet launcher and fired it off, sending out an electrified net that stopped him dead on, allowing her to get away.

Meanwhile, with the others, as soon as Pikachu regained eyesight, he used Iron Tail to cut the chains holding Serena and Misty and told the others the abridged version of all that had happened, and then went to get Rotom out of his Sticky Web situation. The girls began searching everywhere, and fortunately found their Pokéballs among the stuff J had left behind along with her own Pokémon. Since Sceptile and Tyranitar were the only ones still in condition to keep fighting, Serena and Misty asked them to chase after Hunter J, while they returned the fallen Pokémon to their Pokéballs. The two girls grabbed each one of Ash's arms and placed them over their shoulders to lift him up. This was a rather unusual way to get him between both of them, but now, they had other concerns.

Meanwhile, from above, with nobody else seeing him, the Melemele Island Guardian decided he had enjoyed the show enough. The boy showed a great power, but apparently it was too much for him and ended up collapsing. Better to let him rest for now, he'd take care of the rest. Still, there wasn't any harm in having a little fun with that hunter woman before delivering her due punishment.

* * *

 _ **Minutes later…**_

After going through the whole island, J could finally get to the place where she had hidden her alternative escape means. A mini-submarine to go underwater undetected, in case things went awry. Although this time, she didn't expect they'd go _this_ awry, to run away leaving her Pokémon behind.

' _What the hell was all that?'_ she thought. _'That Greninja looked different from normal, but that kind of power… I'd almost think the brat wasn't human.'_

That seemed the only explanation. That wasn't a battle: Greninja swiped the floor with J's three Pokémon, and even if they weren't a little rusty from battling, she was sure they should have at least been able to face anything with proper planning. What kind of trainer was Ash Ketchum? Had she underestimated him?

"One day, I'll get my revenge for this, but not today. It'll be for nothing if I end up getting caught now. Those girls already know my face, and it's just a matter of time before they spread word. It's time for me to leave Alola."

There was no point in staying here, in this region full of too many friendly people, which made her feel sick and disgusted. She still had enough money and a couple of safe houses in Hoenn or Sinnoh, those would be just fine. But first things first, she had to get to her sub…

"Kokooooooooo!"

"What the…?" Ironically, several lightning bolts began raining from the sky, stopping her from reaching her escape vehicle. Looking up to see the one responsible, she was in for a surprise. "You… you are…"

Tapu Koko. The Guardian Deity Pokémon of Melemele, its protector, as it was said. Nobody questioned his existence, but very rarely he'd allow himself to be seen, except if something important came up or he decided to have fun (the later more frequently). J had never seen him before, but among his plans, she would have wished to capture him to make a profit. Though of course, she already knew the consequences of trying to capture a Legendary Pokémon without fully understanding its power, and she wouldn't make that mistake again.

"What do you want? If you're not looking for trouble, let me mind my own business," J threatened him.

In response, Tapu Koko glanced at the submergible vehicle, partially hidden underneath a fabric that looked like rock. What an obvious disguise, this island had no rocks like that. He stabbed one of his claws on the ground and unleashed a powerful pink discharge directly to the sub. The energy enveloped it completely, and a few seconds later, it exploded.

"What the…?! Damn you stupid thing, what have you done?!" J yelled, seeing her escape route was now rendered useless.

Rage completely clouded the Hunter's judgment, and she tried to use her gauntlet. Grave mistake: Tapu Koko went ahead and unleashed another discharge, this time yellow in color, and focused towards her hand wearing the gadget. It wasn't strong enough to hurt her, but it did render her weapon unusable. J couldn't believe it; first her revenge attempt against Ash Ketchum backfired horribly, and now this?

"Curses, can't my day get any worse?" she muttered through her teeth.

She just had to ask that, and was about to find it out. Tapu Koko was _not_ happy for what she had done to the boy, and he'd make sure she'd pay for it. For now, he'd enjoy that priceless expression of frustration and terror in the woman's face, while he took her where she belonged.

…

At Officer Jenny's boat, Ash's friends were still waiting. There was still some time before the time ran out, but they were impatient to do something. The wait was killing them, and several of them, aside from being worried for not having any news of him, were also concerned for Serena and Misty.

"Didn't Ash figure how to use Rotom's communication feature?" Sophocles asked. "He should have already called us by now, if he already found them."

"Calm down," said Lillie. "I'm worried too, but we should have faith in him."

Meanwhile, Gladion, acting as the lookout, suddenly focused his binoculars when he spotted a small dot approaching them from the island. He decided to zoom in and then…

"Is that… Tapu Koko?" He focused more, and then he noticed the Tapu was holding a woman violently shaking and flailing around. "Who's that he's bringing? Officer Jenny, something's coming up ahead!"

The policewoman and everyone else went towards the boat's prow, and then they saw Tapu Koko approaching, holding by the rear a woman struggling to break free, and clearly furious of being in such an embarrassing position, even hearing her scream when they got close enough:

"Put me down! Put me down at once, you damn thing! You'll pay for this, I assure you!"

Once he got close enough to the boat, the guardian deity simply dropped his prisoner face first on the deck, and everyone was shocked to see her. The Hunter didn't take long to realize that, without her hood and shades, everyone there would see her face, including, much to her chagrin, an Officer Jenny. Her first reaction was trying to use her gauntlet with her, until she remembered it wouldn't do any good, and she frowned.

"I assume that you, lady, is the one they call Hunter J, correct?" the policewoman asked.

"Who wants to know?" J replied smugly, but that was all the answer they needed, so immediately Jenny grabbed her hands and cuffed them.

"If she escaped, something must have happened with Ash and the others," said Mallow. "We better go there, fast."

"We will." Jenny grabbed her radio. "Attention all units. We've got Hunter J under custody. Move forward to the island and find Ash and his friends."

"Roger that," they replied from the other side.

The boats surrounding the perimeter began advancing towards the island, and Jenny took J to check on her and make sure she didn't carry anything else that could potentially pose a danger to them, like weapons or stuff. They'd have to check on the whole island for any evidence they had to get this criminal behind bars, and of course, making sure that Ash, Misty and Serena were safe and sound.

For his part, Tapu Koko flew away as he watched the boats heading for the place. He'd love to stay a bit more and see how everything turned out, but he was sure his boy would be in good hands. He handled himself pretty well until he arrived, and between his two female friends, his other Pokémon, and the others arriving, nothing would go wrong with him. He could come back another day without issues.

* * *

 _ **Hours later, Melemele General Hospital…**_

As soon as they were rescued from the island and returned to Melemele, the first thing the group did was heading for the Pokémon Center to leave Misty and Serena's Pokémon teams for healing, as well as Greninja and Charizard (and the rest too, just in case). Ash had to be taken directly to the emergency room at the general hospital. The whole group, Misty, Serena, Pikachu, Gladion, Kiawe, Mallow, Sophocles and Lana was now at the waiting room, hoping for some news. In particular, Misty and Serena seemed to be the most worried ones, and that was no surprise. Whatever had happened to Ash, it was because he had to go rescue them from that psycho-for-hire hunter. They both held each other's hands, trying to calm each other, while Pikachu rested on Serena's lap.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the emergency room light turned off, and the doctor in charge came out to deliver the news, her face in a neutral expression. Pikachu jumped off Serena's lap, and along with her and Misty, they were the first to approach the doctor.

"How's Ash, doctor?" asked Misty before the medic could speak up. "Is he alright?"

"What happened to him?" added Serena. "Please, tell us something."

"Relax, please," the doctor said as she raised her hands to get them to stop. "I've got good news. Your friend is not at risk. But you did well to bring him here soon. It would have been much harder to stabilize him the more time had passed."

The girls let out a sigh of relief, just like everyone else. Serena, however, immediately retook the question she had made. She needed to know.

"What happened exactly?" she asked. "I had never seen him before with the Bond Phenomenon in that… enraged manner."

"I'm not exactly sure, but if I had to guess, from what you tell me, the Bond Phenomenon is a two-way system," the doctor said. "It's possible that, just like Ash gives some of his energy to Greninja when they synchronize, some of Greninja's power also passes to Ash. But when it's fueled by a very strong emotion, like rage in this case… the physical and mental strain must have been too much for him, and he couldn't take it."

"So that's why he started attacking like that, and then just collapsed," said Misty. Serena nodded, that made sense

"Well, all that matters is that he's alright now, isn't it?" Mallow intervened. "Can we come in to see him?"

"We'll move him to a room so he can rest," the doctor said. "You can come in, but no more than two or three at once. He might take a while to wake up, maybe even a couple days, so you better not disturb his sleep until then."

Everyone agreed to the terms. The doctor left and meanwhile, everyone went to the cafeteria to get something to eat in the meantime. Afterwards, once the doctor told them Ash was already in a room, they agreed to let Misty, Serena and Pikachu to enter first. After all, this concerned them more than any other.

As they entered, Ash slept peacefully on his bed, an IV bag dripping next to him. Pikachu climbed on the bed and looked at his partner, placing his paw on Ash's forehead.

"Pikapi…" he said, some sadness mixed with relief. Serena and Misty grabbed a couple of chairs, each sitting on one side of his bed.

"I hate seeing him this way," said Misty. "He's always so full of energy, I don't like when something like this happens to him."

"I know." Serena agreed. "But at least, he's going to be alright."

"Yeah, he'll be fine enough when he wakes up, so I can lecture him," said Misty. "How could he risk like that? If something had happened to him… if that psycho woman had done something to him because of me, I would have never forgiven myself."

"You think I don't feel the same?" asked Serena, although she wasn't exactly scolding her. "I'd be furious too, if somebody tried to get to me this way. I'd do anything to protect the people I care about."

Both girls looked tenderly at Ash. It was scary to see him that way, so angry so violent… but that didn't erase the fact the anger was because he cared for them and wanted to protect them at any cost. He cared, he cared a lot for them. Misty couldn't resist and carefully she extended her hand to stroke on his face softly. Serena, meanwhile, placed her hand on Ash's, and none of them said a word for a while.

At the moment, a simultaneous thought got into the minds of both girls. This was a facet none of them had often seen in Ash. Normally, he was cheerful, enthusiastic, competitive, a bit loud and always full of energy. It was hard, maybe impossible, to imagine Ash as vulnerable, quiet and silent. But that was exactly how he was at the time, and strange as it was… they didn't find it bad at all. He looked so sweet, so cute… and it awoke something inside them as they gazed at him and listened to his breathing.

"Hey Misty/Serena." They both spoke at once. The two remained static upon noticing they had talked in unison.

"You go first," said Serena.

"No, it's fine, you first," Misty insisted.

"Well… I was thinking… I know we agreed in our pact that none of us would try to kiss Ash during this vacation, until he made a choice, right?"

"Yeah, that was the agreement," Misty replied. Inside she wondered where Serena was getting at, or maybe not so much, if it was what she was thinking.

"But you told me you had never kissed Ash before," said Serena. "And I don't think it's fair that only I have."

"Heh, that's alright, don't worry about it." The redhead just shrugged. "Knowing him, he'd probably freak out if I kissed him."

"But wouldn't you like it?" asked Serena.

The Gym Leader stared at her friend. The answer to that was too obvious: of course she would like it. Hell, how many times had she pictured that? But her pride wouldn't let her admit that out loud, let alone in front of Ash (never mind that he was unconscious). Even so, Serena could see it in her eyes. The Kalosian took on a smile with a little touch of mischief Misty had never seen before. Pikachu didn't intervene, but he glanced from one to the other, interested in what was coming.

"The pact was that none of us would try to kiss Ash," said Serena. "If we both did it at the same time… we're both breaking it and none of us ends up in the wrong, right?"

"Well, since you put it that way…" Misty thought it over. That didn't sound bad at all. "I have no objections. And if Ash is still asleep, the only one here who could oppose is Pikachu, right?"

They both glanced at the electric rodent, with a questioning expression. The mouse smiled with mischief, and without wasting a second stepped aside to make room for them. They were pretty sure that meant "Go ahead", and the girls smiled in triumph. With no more need for words, they both read each other's thoughts. Tempting as it was, stealing a kiss on the lips from Ash while he was asleep seemed a little too cruel, not to mention there was not enough room over there for them both to kiss him at once. On the other hand, Ash had two cheeks, and they were two. That seemed like a fair deal.

"Well, let's do it," said Serena as she got closer.

"Hold up." Misty stopped her. "If we're gonna do this, we better do it right."

"Eh?" Serena tilted her head in confusion. What was Misty up to? The redhead grabbed a small makeup bag and grabbed specifically the lipstick set, of varied shades. Serena took a few seconds to realize what she was getting to. "Oh… so _that's_ what you mean."

"What's your favorite shade?" Misty winked at her.

Obviously, they shouldn't be content with just giving each a kiss to Ash; they should leave a good mark on him. Misty picked a dark red lipstick, while Serena chose a light pink. Clearly fitting for both of them, with their opposite personalities they were perfect for each. Once they donned they lipstick and while it was still fresh, they both leaned in to get in position.

"Alright… on the count of one…" said Misty.

"Two," added Serena.

"Three," they both said at the same time.

And with this, they both placed their lips on the sleeping boy's cheeks, keeping as much as they could to ensure each of them would leave her mark. The doctor had warned them not to disturb his sleep, but what harm could do a couple of sweet and innocent kisses? Besides, this was their way to thank him. For always being there for them, for being their friend, their companion, for always supporting them in their respective dreams. In short, they wanted to thank him just for being who he was. Ash Ketchum, the boy whom they loved with all of their hearts.

* * *

 _ **The following morning…**_

His eyelids felt heavy. He felt really tired and his whole body was aching. Little by little, the memories flowed back into him. Hunter J had locked up Misty and Serena inside a tank, and was using Misty's Gyarados to fill it with water to get them to drown, forcing him to watch it. At the time, an unstoppable rage took him over, and his only thoughts were about saving them at any cost, and then punish the culprit. He could see the terror in her eyes, and he almost…

"Hmm… what?"

Ash finally opened her eyes and saw where he was. Inside a hospital room, and he was resting on a bed, with an IV bag injecting the fluid in his arm. But that was the lesser part, since on each side of his bed, there were none other than Serena and Misty, both of them apparently sleeping, and each holding one of his hands between theirs. The trainer's heart melted upon seeing them there, first feeling relief to see them safe and sound, and feeling a warmth in his chest because, as it were, they most likely had stood there the whole… how long had he been out cold?

"Pi… Pikapi!" Pikachu, who was rolled up next to Ash's pillow, and then jumped to the chest of his trainer.

"Pikachu, hey." Ash, tried to remove the hands to hold on his partner, but the girls grip (particularly Misty's) was quite strong, even if they were asleep. "What happened? The last thing I remember was that we were fighting against Hunter J and then…"

"Hmm…" Right then, both girls awoke and rubbed their eyes. As expected, the first thing they did was noticing Ash had come to, and without a second thought they jumped to glomp him. "Ash!"

"Ow! Girls… you're strangling me!"

"Take it like a man!" Misty yelled. "What the hell happened to you out there?!"

"What happened to me?" Ash repeated.

"Something went off with you and Greninja." Serena softened a little the grip of her hug. "You used the Bond Phenomenon, but this time it was different. You guys went berserk, you were all violent and aggressive."

"And you almost killed Hunter J," added Misty. "Well, it's not like we'd have mourned that woman's death, but…"

"Sorry about that, but if you don't let go, the one who's gonna die is me!" he said in a choked voice. When he regained his breath, staring at them intently and scratching the back of his head. "At the moment… I was really furious. Just to think she wanted to cause harm to you two, that you almost died in front of me… that made me lose it completely. I would have never forgiven myself. At any rate… I don't want to do that ever again."

"Well, there's no point in having regrets now," said Misty. "We're alright, and it's all thanks to you. Hunter J won't cause problems ever again. After what happened, we decided that you had earned some sleep, but you took it too far."

"Speaking of, how long was I out cold?" asked Ash.

"Two full days," said Serena. "The others have been worried, but they were kind enough to let us stay with you until you woke up."

"So that means… you really stood by my side all this time?" said Ash, though he already suspected it.

"Well of course, what did you expect?" said Misty. "Really, sometimes I don't know what you'd do without us to watch over you."

"We better let the others know," Serena intervened. "They only let two or three of us at once, so we should tell them you woke up, so they don't worry anymore."

"In that case, I… ouch!" Ash tried to get up, but his body was still aching and too tired to do so.

"Uh-uh, you stay here. You still need to rest." Misty waved her finger. "While you chat with the others, we'll go get something for you to eat, you must be starving."

Ash wanted to protest, but his stomach rumbled loudly. It made sense if he had been unconscious for two full days, and he'd never refuse a good meal. Since he didn't give any negative, both girls left the room. Ash leaned back on his bed, staying with Pikachu. At least now he could rest easy.

A minute later, Lana, Lillie and Mallow entered together, and quickly surrounded his bed.

"Ash! How are you feeling? Are you alright?" asked Mallow.

"Well, aside from the fact that I'm feeling like I've fought my share for a lifetime, my body hurts in places that I didn't know I had, and I'm starving… yeah, I'm good," said Ash.

"We're glad you woke up. By the way, my brother left this morning, but he left this note for you." Lillie pulled out a folded paper from her pocket and handed it to Ash. Ash unfolded it and read it:

 _ ***By the time you read this I'll be long gone. I need to go back to the Aether Foundation to take care of things. I'm sorry we couldn't finish our battle, but I'll be waiting for our next meeting. Until then, keep on training to grow stronger, like you've done so far.**_

 _ **Gladion.***_

"How considerate." Ash put the note away. He also regretted not being able to finish the battle, but he had no choice but to wait until next time. It was then he noticed Lana stared at him and snickered for some reason. "What's so funny?"

"Have you seen your face?" the bluenette said.

"What, do I have something in my face?" Ash touched his face and then felt something on his cheek. There was some red plaster on his fingers. He looked around searching for a mirror, and Mallow kindly pulled out one for him. "This is…"

As he noticed his reflection he finally understood: he had dark red and light pink lipstick marks all over his cheeks. Some of them still felt fresh, and if Serena and Misty had been with him all the while he had been out could… he couldn't believe they dared to do that, though for some reason he didn't find it bad at all.

"In any case, will you tell us what happened?" Mallow intervened. "Serena and Misty told us their version, now we want to hear yours."

With a sigh of resignation, Ash was ready to tell them how things had gone since they separated. Well, there wasn't too much to tell, but it was the best thing he had to kill time until Serena and Misty came back with the food for him… and then he'd tell them a couple things about stealing kisses from him while he was asleep.

* * *

 _ **Days later, at the cruiser…**_

Fortunately for them, both Ash and the girls quickly recovered with that horrible experience. In a couple days they were back on track to enjoy the remainder of their vacation, and except having to sign an affidavit to get J behind bars, the rest of the days went on with little to no complications. The hunter would spend a very long time locked up while the local and international police conducted an investigation to ensure that none of her past crimes would be left unpunished. Poetic justice in its maximum expression.

But since everything had to end, the time had come to say goodbye. The S. S. Anne was already departing, and the trio was saying goodbye to their Alolan friends, who were at the pier waving at them, and promising to meet again one day. Now it was time for them to return to Kanto.

"Well… these vacations weren't half bad, were they?" said Misty.

"The best of my life." Serena smiled. "Well, except for that psycho hunter."

"No kidding," said Misty. "Ash, really, next time you should warn us if there's some other psycho thirsty for revenge against you."

"Hey, in my defense, how could I have known that woman was still alive?" Ash retorted.

"Pikachu." Pikachu shook his head in resignation.

"Anyway." Misty stretched herself and stared at Serena, exchanging a silent message with her. The Kalosian nodded, and they both faced him with a serious expression. "Ash, Serena and I need to discuss something very important with you. I think now is a good time, since there's not a lot of people around here."

Indeed, most of the passengers were going below the deck to get to their cabins. Nobody would notice them, now it was the perfect time to talk about… that little issue.

"Ash… I think by now you already know how much you mean to us two," said Serena. "As a friend, traveling companion, and someone who inspired us to fight for our dreams. But…"

"But at this point, we're not content with just being friends with you," Misty continued. "We've always seen you as something else, and we wish you'd see us the same way."

Ash tilted his head, as if pretending he didn't get it. Of course the message was clear, but still, Ash being Ash, he wanted to play dumb just a little bit. After all, they had been messing with him during the whole vacation.

"And by 'something else' you mean…?"

"Ash, please don't start now," said Misty, catching wind of his game. Ash just snickered, although a little annoyed that the game had finished before starting. "You already know what we both feel for you. Or do you think that 'You Drive Me Crazy' song was just for show?"

"Not to mention the kiss I gave you before departing from Kalos," added Serena.

"Sorry," he replied. "In any case, out of the fact you're both head over heels for me, and don't think I haven't noticed, I don't see what you two want to do with this."

Serena and Misty exchanged glances again for a moment. There was no turning back; the best they could do was to ask the question up front. They were lucky to have each other's back; individually, none of them would be brave enough to ask it. Serena was the first to talk, after taking a deep breath.

"Ash, what Misty and I want you to tell us is… what do you think about us?"

"In the romantic sense," the redhead cleared up. "And we want you to be as sincere as possible. Do you find either of us attractive, or did you do it at some point? Don't spare anything, we want to hear it all from you."

Ash stared at them, glancing at Misty and then at Serena, time and time again as he meditated his answer. Alright, if they wanted him to be sincere, that was no problem. The real kicker was in choosing the right words. He knew what he wanted to say, but first, he had to carefully build the wording.

"OK." He took a deep breath. "I think that you both… are very beautiful and talented girls, and the best female friends someone like me could ever ask for. I can safely say that any man would be very lucky to have either of you as a girlfriend, myself included."

Both girls smiled, blushing slightly. That had been really sweet of him, and Misty had to hold the urges of letting out a snarky remark to avoid ruining the mood. Now, however, both knew there was a damn "but" coming up. It was always that way

"But the thing is… look, I'd be lying if I said I don't feel attracted to either of you, each in a different way, and I assure you, I've never felt this way for anybody else," he said. "You both are dear to me, neither any less than the other. What I mean to say is… I don't want to choose one of you, if that means hurting the other, do you understand me?"

Misty and Serena remained silent. OK, they had asked for a sincere answer, and he had given it, they couldn't complain. It might be a little inconclusive, but it definitely sounded worthy of someone like Ash. He was thinking more of their feelings before his own, and the concern of pursuing a relationship with one of them was founded on the fact he didn't want the other to feel rejected or dumped. That was another of the things they loved of him: his heart of gold.

"Well, Ash, if that's what you're worried about, I think there's something else we should tell you." Misty finally broke the silence. "Serena and I… we made a little pact of sorts, in regards to you."

"A pact? What kind of pact?" he asked.

"In short… we both decided we would compete for you," said Serena. "We'd compete fairly amongst each other, but… any other competition would have to go."

"What Serena means to say, is that we prefer to see you with either of us two, instead of anyone else, you get my drift?"

Ash smirked. That definitely sounded like the Misty he knew, but considering how much of a clingy jealous girl she was whenever he got female attention, it said a lot that she was willing to give Serena a fair chance. She wouldn't have done that for anyone else. Both girls held one of Ash's hands each, staring into his eyes.

"One of the rules of that pact, was that the one who wasn't chosen would support the love of the other," said Misty. "Which means, we're both prepared for either scenario."

"And regardless of your choice, none of us will hate you," Serena concluded. "That will never change the fact you're very important for our lives."

Ash's smile widened. These girls were really two of a kind. They felt lucky to have met him, but at the time, he was the one who felt lucky. Better not to say it out loud, though, otherwise Misty would take her chance to make fun of him.

"Thanks, it means a lot that you guys say that," he expressed with gratitude. "So then… you think I could get some time?"

"Don't think we'll wait forever," said Misty. "A few months, one year tops, that should be enough for you to clear your head. But until then…"

With this, Misty approached to get a hold of his arm, giving him her most seductive gaze. Serena followed suit, except that she gave him her sweetest face. For Arceus, the two were such a perfect contrast it almost looked criminal.

"We don't mind waiting and stay this way for a while," said Misty.

"Our time with you will always be of wonderful and beautiful memories," said Serena.

Ash didn't say more, but in the end, there was no need. He could be happy, just for having them by his side. It was hard to not to feel at least a vivacious gratitude for someone professing such a sincere love like these two. It wasn't an easy decision, but he promised to himself giving them a proper answer. And him being Ash Ketchum, he'd see to fulfill that promise, even if it took him a lifetime (not that he planned to make them wait _that_ long).

* * *

 _ **That night at the cabin…**_

Being the first day in the return trip, the trio hadn't decided yet what they'd do until they had returned to Kanto. They had enough excitement with Hunter J, and all they wanted was to relax. Even Ash, which was unusual, but after such an experience, he'd definitely earned it.

Nevertheless, Misty and Serena still wanted to have a little fun at Ash's expense. The vacation wasn't still over, so why not to enjoy it while it lasted?

"Hey, Ash," Misty called him in a cutesy voice, while he was busy making his bed. "Serena and I have another question for you."

"What is it?" said Ash. "Listen, I've already told you, I'm not ready to make a choice about you two, so…"

"No, it's not that," Serena interrupted him. That was… unusual. "Just a little question we've had for some time, nothing too serious."

"Oh, fine. I'm not in the mood to play favorites right now," the trainer said. "Go ahead, ask away."

Both girls exchanged complicity glances, and those smiles told Ash they were about to pull a prank on him or something. Better get it over with so as to not give them too much fun. From Misty, that wasn't too strange, but how did she manage to get Serena to play along? Had they really grown that close to each other as friends?

"Alright… just like before, we want you to be honest," said Misty. "Between us two… physically speaking, who of us is more attractive?"

"Eh?" Ash's eyes widened upon hearing the question. That was a low blow; he had just said he didn't want to play favorites, and now they were forcing him to do so? Involuntarily, he found himself glancing at both of them, switching his gaze from one to the other constantly, as if he tried to decide.

"Hahaha, what did I tell you?" Misty laughed. "He's at a blank, there's no way he can answer that."

Serena laughed too, and it was no wonder; Ash's expression was priceless. However, Misty didn't imagine that, at the moment, Ash was already forming an answer that would turn around their little prank.

"Well, if you want an honest opinion… I think Serena has a prettier face than you, Misty," he said. The giggles stopped, Serena blushed, and Misty suddenly looked like she had just choked on something. "What? You can't deny her facial features are more delicate and feminine. Her hair definitely helps too."

Both girls glanced at each other again, surprised that Ash had actually leaned over to one of the two. Especially Misty, who took offense and not because she felt insulted, but because she secretly agreed. However, the boy wasn't done talking yet.

"On the other hand… out of you two, Misty has a more shapely body. Don't get me wrong, Serena, you too have a nice figure, but…" Ash glanced at Misty's legs, and stopped to stare at her chest for a second. "It's hard to compete in that department with a girl with an Olympic swimmer body, isn't it?"

This time the expressions switched: Misty was the one blushing, and Serena took offense. The Kalosian involuntarily placed her hands on her chest. She wasn't flat by any means, but compared to Misty… certainly her own attributes there weren't quite as notable. It made sense; Misty made a lot more physical activity, so her body was more athletically developed than Serena's. Maybe she should follow her example.

And then, a thought invaded their minds simultaneously. Ash had just turned around their little joke; not only did he give them a completely honest answer, but he actually praised them in their respective assets, and didn't play any favorites. How did he do that? Was Ash smarter in dealing with women than they gave him credit for? But they could agree on something: they couldn't leave it at that. Smiling naughtily, Misty grabbed a pillow, and Serena followed suit.

"What do you say, Serena?" the redhead asked.

"Let's do it." The Kalosian nodded. Both of them turned towards Ash, and he felt the relief going away.

"Hey, what are you two up to?"

None of them answered, they just jumped on him to hit him with their pillows together. Pikachu couldn't do anything but slip away for a moment and get him a pillow of his own to fight back. After what happened to the island, he wasn't leaving his trainer to fend off the crossfire on his own. Against one, Ash could have held his own just fine, but with the two ganging up on him, they'd dominate him. Either way, they were clearly having fun.

If this was what awaited him until he made a choice, maybe it wouldn't be so bad to wait. He could take his time to think over his final answer.

 _ **To be continued…**_

* * *

 **Author's notes:**

Aright, here we are back with the story. With this, Hunter J's mini-arc is finally solved. Well, told you guys that I was planning on making that evil woman to regret like never before having messed with Ash. What better way than making her feel sheer terror, incurring in his anger for threatening those two girls who are so important to him? So I figured, why not making a "berserk mode" that made him go violent and aggressive, to the point even Serena and Misty would be scared of seeing it. I mean, it makes sense that the Bond Phenomenon transmits more than the obvious if it's a two-way system, right? Truth to be told, for a moment I did feel tempted to get that Shuriken buried into her head. Nobody will mourn that woman, after all.

Sorry if the title was misleading about Ash making his choice here and now, but nope, the answer comes in the next update. About the endgame, I'm using some arguments based on my personal opinion, interviews with Gabo Ramos and Xóchitl Ugarte (Ash and Misty's voice actors in Latin America), and a very particular one I found with a YouTuber named **The RThor** , which I found interesting, and I thought it would be nice to use (just in case, I asked him first if he allowed me). Since we're at it, the final scene is a little about my own personal opinion about the physical appeal of each of the two girls, and in part the reason they're at the top of my favorites list.

Thanks for the reviews to **SuperSonicBros123, MajorBrony95, Megalon 61, Omnistar, Korrasami 88** and **Alex Ho.** Stay tuned, next update, the grand finale for this story. Meanwhile, I'm off to work on my next oneshot for Pokémon Reset Bloodlines. See ya around.


	8. Epilogue A

**Crossroads – Between a Mermaid and a Princess.**

 **By Fox McCloude.**

 **Disclaimer:** Pokémon and all related characters belong to Satoshi Tajiri and Nintendo. All rights reserved.

 **Epilogue A.**

* * *

 _ **Pokémon Intercontinental Champions' Tournament, one year later…**_

Here he was. The highest summit of Pokémon trainers, the peak of the best, and the maximum championship any trainer could aspire to. This was the final stepping stone for any trainer whose dream was to be crowned as the greatest Pokémon Master in the world, for they who could win here would have the right to call himself as the strongest trainer of all.

The Pokémon Intercontinental Champions' Tournament took place every four years, and entry was extremely limited. Out of millions of trainer around the entire Pokémon World, only the best of the best had a shot, between Regional Champions, Elite Four Members, and more sporadically regular winners of Pokémon League Conferences. The Kanto Battle Frontier was a special case, since they only opened a slot for them, which the eight Frontier Brains had to compete for, having to resort to their own internal tournament to choose who would represent them. The finals were decided in a tough three-vs-three battle, where the All-Stars trio formed by Ash's Charizard, Sceptile and Greninja had to face Brandon's three Regis, but in the end, Ash's team prevailed. After this, the boy from Pallet Town promised his Frontier colleagues he would win the tournament not just for himself, but for them.

To describe his performance in one single word, the best way to put it would be "stellar". Despite being the only representative of Kanto's Frontier, Ash rose through the rounds slowly but surely, defeating with great difficulty opponents on the level of Lorelei, Lance, Diantha and Steven Stone, among others, until he crowned himself winner of the A-Block. All of his opponents praised his skills and wished him the best of luck in the grand finale, where he would face the winner of the B-Block. That battle promised to be of legendary proportions, in more than one sense.

It goes without saying that Ash was quite surprised to know that his opponent, the winner of the B-Block, was none other than Tobias. That mysterious trainer who swept the floor with him and the rest of his team in the Sinnoh League, using only his Darkrai and Latios. Now that he was facing against other champions, for the first time many could get a good look of his team, but so far, none of them had managed to reach his final Pokémon. The farthest they had gone had been his fifth, and that was Cynthia, whose Mega Garchomp managed to achieve a Double KO in the B-Block's finale. At this point, everything had placed their hopes in Ash, so he would be the one to reveal (and if possible, defeat) Tobias's sixth Pokémon.

Inside the VIP booth, the other Frontier Brains watched the match in expectation. Even though they had managed to get tickets for Ash's closest friends, most of them were unable to make the trip due to other compromises, but they were rooting for him as they watched live in their respective homes. The two who did make a superhuman effort to attend and watch this match in person were Misty and Serena. At the time, both girls had their hands intertwined, while they held their free hands against their chests, feeling their hearts pounding in excitement, and wishing with all of their hearts for Ash to come out victorious. This didn't go unnoticed by Anabel, who at this point was aware of the feelings these two girls held for Ash, and she thought they were very lucky.

The board was showing the results up to that point, and Tobias's team had been almost fully revealed. Just like years before in the Sinnoh League, he started with Darkrai, and even though he managed to knock out Ash's Tyranitar, he didn't come out unscathed, and Pidgeot was able was able to defeat him with a lot of difficulty. Tobias then brought out his Latios to start a spectacular aerial battle, in which Latios finally came out victorious, although just like Tyranitar, Pidgeot didn't go down gentle and managed to inflict a burn condition with his Heat Wave attack before being knocked out, which caused problems for Latios in the next round. Pikachu then took over and this time, he was able to defeat him without being knocked out, and not having even to use his trump card, letting Ash save it for later. Tobias's third Pokémon was an Entei, so Ash decided to fight fire with fire, with Charizard. Although the seemed evenly matched, Ash activated Mega Evolution and won, this being the first time someone managed to get ahead of Tobias in the entire tournament. Tobias, however, also had his own Mega Pokémon in wait. A Lucario, the only non-Legendary in his team, but he definitely was up to par with the rest of his teammates, and Charizard was unable to beat him despite the type advantage. Sceptile took over and Ash also triggered Mega Evolution with him using his second Key Stone (he had taken it as an additional reinforcement), but even then, he was unable to beat Lucario, though he did injure him enough for Pikachu to finish the job. Next, there was an electric duel where Ash's starter bravely fought against a Zapdos who endured almost all of his attacks. In a desperate effort, Ash and Pikachu used their Z-Move, and for the first time it seemed like Zapdos did feel that one. Unfortunately, Pikachu ended up using all his remaining power in that last attack, and Zapdos took him out. Ash ran off to the field to pick up his partner, and had an attendant to take him away. Upon returning to his place, the trainer grabbed his final Pokéball. Now it was all or nothing.

"It's time. Greninja, I choose you!" he shouted as he threw the ball.

"Ninja!" The ninja frog appeared on the field, and took his battle stance as he awaited his orders.

"You've fought well, Ash. But that Greninja won't be able to defeat my Zapdos. Use Thunder!" Tobias commanded, and the electric bird summoned a lightning bolt to fall on top of Greninja.

"Double Team!" Ash countered.

Greninja multiplied himself all over the field, and Zapdos' Thunder hit one of his copies, dissipating it. Even Legendary Pokémon seemed to have their limits, and Pikachu's Z-Move clearly had done a number on Zapdos. Ash only had Greninja while Tobias still had one more Pokémon in wait, but if he was careful, Ash could avoid taking too much damage and have Greninja still in condition to fight anything that came after.

Zapdos kept firing his electric attacks, turning the entire field into a thunderstorm, but Greninja moved so fast between the clones, none of the attacks hit him, and the bird was running out of power. Tobias had a preference to keep his team hidden as much as he could, but everything seemed to point that this would be the first time in his career he would have to show and use his sixth Pokémon. Greninja finally stopped moving, apparently to take a breath, and even though Tobias had the feeling it wasn't a good idea, he decided to take a shot with his strongest attack.

"Zap Cannon, now!" he yelled. Zapdos squawked and began forming a large electric sphere in his beak, bigger and slightly darker than an Electroball. Ash however, already knew what he would do to counter it.

"Prepare Water Shuriken, Greninja!" he called.

The frog formed a large, four-tipped star and held it above his head. Most of those who had followed the tournament knew he'd only do this when it was time to get serious and sentence a match, and this time was no exception. Zapdos then fired his attack. To everyone's shock, except for those who knew Ash, Greninja jumped, not to dodge, but to go directly into the sphere's path. Intercepting it with the Shuriken, it became charged with its power, and spinning in the air, threw it back at Zapdos before it would electrocute him. Zapdos had used all of his remaining strength in that last attack, so he had nothing left to try and dodge or defend himself, taking the full brunt of his own attack along with the Water Shuriken's impact. His wings couldn't hold him in the air anymore and he began to fall, so Ash and Greninja knew that was their chance to deliver the final blow.

"Night Slash, now!" Ash yelled.

"Nin… JAAAAAAAAAA!"

SLASH! A direct slash on the abdomen, and Zapdos was down, still giving of sparks of the last attack. Tobias was quite surprised. When he faced this boy so many years ago, he was the first who forced him to use a second Pokémon, even knocking it out. Now, he was not only giving him the greatest battle in his life, but for the first time, someone had driven him to use his full force.

"Return, Zapdos." After retrieving the bird, Tobias took his sixth and final Pokéball. "Ash, this has been the greatest match I've ever had in my life, and it's the first time someone forces me to use my full team. I congratulate you on that, but I'm not planning to lose now. My last Pokémon, go!"

Everyone looked in expectation, holding their breath to see the final member of Tobias's team. This would be the first time everyone would get to see it. Following the pattern, everyone expected another legendary, and indeed it was, although in Ash's case, it was one he found a little strange, compared to his previous encounters with this particular species.

"Kyogre?" Ash asked upon seeing it. The blue, orca-like Pokémon had extended his flippers, floating in the air, and as soon as he appeared, a downpour rained over the field, clearly his Drizzle ability.

"Surprised?" asked Tobias. "I would imagine this is the first time you fight one of these?"

Ash had to hold back the urge of saying he was surprised, not to see one of these, but the fact it was a lot smaller than he remembered from his previous encounters with this species. After all, in Hoenn, he saw the confrontation between Kyogre and Groudon caused by the meddling of Teams Aqua and Magma, and those were… continental-sized, as he recalled. This one wasn't bigger than 14, maybe 15 feet, and even though he clearly dwarfed Greninja in size and mass, it felt a lot… less imposing than those titans he saw almost destroy the Hoenn region. Then again, giant or not, a Legendary Pokémon couldn't be underestimated. Everything would go down now on the field.

"Kyogre, use Thunder!" Tobias called.

Kyogre roared and charged up power, literally launching a thunderstorm. The rain enabled him to better direct the attack, and only Greninja's own lightning-speed reflexes allowed him to dodge the lightning bolts falling one after the other.

"Greninja, get close and use Night Slash!" Ash shouted.

"Greninja!" Greninja began running in zigzag, trying to dodge the falling bolts, but as he got closer and closer to Kyogre, these grew more accurate until one of them finally struck, forcing him to step back. Tobias smiled at seeing he had gotten the first hit in.

"Origin Pulse!" he called, determined to press forward on the offensive.

Kyogre roared again, this time shooting out of his mouth a few water orbs, which exploded firing of blue energy beams that rained mercilessly upon Greninja. The frog barely managed to dodge using Double Team, but the falling water helped Tobias and Kyogre tell where he was due to the splashing he caused as he moved. Indeed, they were able to spot the real one trying to get lost between the bunch of clones, and while it was hard to intercept him, there was a way to sweep all the clones along with the original at once.

"Now Kyogre, Water Spout!"

Although the Drizzle weakened with each passing second, they decided to use their advantage as long as they could. Kyogre gathered energy, and expelled it along with a furious growl, launching a large amount of water orbs to the clouds above. While Origin Pulse could easily dispel the Greninja clones, Water Spout, while lacking in power could easily sweep any opponent in the nearby area. A few seconds later, water droplets covered in a sky blue energy began raining nonstop, destroying everything they touched. Soon enough, all of the clones vanished, leaving the real Greninja exposed and with nowhere left to run.

"Oh no!" Ash shouted in alarm.

Tobias noticed the Drizzle was almost running out. While he was worried about this, he didn't let it show, still keeping his calm and composed demeanor all the time.

"Hydro Pump," he called in a pleasant voice, determined to take out both Ash and his Pokémon.

"Greninja, Substitute!" Ash yelled at the last second.

"Ninja!"

The frog took on the classic ninja pose, and vanished in a smoke curtain, right on the last second. The Hydro Pump just hit a doll that vanished afterwards, and the real Greninja reappeared right on top of Kyogre, wielding his water blades and ready to strike.

"CUT, NOW!" Ash yelled.

The surprise factor helped, and Greninja was able to deliver his first solid hit in this round, hitting Kyogre with a double cross slash that momentarily brought him to the ground. The frog landed on the other side and turned around to keep up his attack before his opponent recovered.

Tobias estimated that the Drizzle would last enough for one final move, so he and Kyogre decided to try one last counterattack. Perhaps they wouldn't land a direct hit, but it would buy them time to change strategy, once the ability was no longer in play.

"Use Thunder once again, Kyogre!"

Kyogre dragged back the electricity from the storm clouds, but rather than making a thunderstorm all over the field to attack, he focused the attack around himself, as a makeshift shield to keep Greninja away. If he got too close he would take a lot of damage, or so he thought.

"Greninja, charge your Water Shuriken as much as you can!" Ash shouted.

Never stopping his attempt, Ash decided to use the electric barrier on his favor. Greninja created two shurikens, one in each hand, and used them to absorb the power, enduring the electric damage until both start were fully charged. As soon as he could, he jumped high once the electric storm weakened enough to leave Kyogre exposed to the attack. Looking directly into his eyes, he threw the stars one after the other.

"Origin Pulse!" Tobias shouted, briefly losing his composure.

He had no chance to think of a way to counter that attack, other than fighting fire with fire, or in this case, water with water. Kyogre focused his own power and fired the Pulse, which was slightly powered up by the remnants of the Drizzle. The attack was able to stop one of the shurikens, but the electric charge gave it enough power to dispel the water beams, and the second shuriken kept going and hit Kyogre hard.

"Night Slash!" Ash yelled, and Greninja quickly created his twin dark blades, taking advantage of Kyogre's daze and Tobias's shock to shorten de distance, landing two blows under the jaw and throwing him backwards.

Kyogre rolled over violently, getting pretty hurt until he ended belly up on the ground. However, he opened a pair of bloodshot and furious eyes, expelling an aura of power worthy of a Legendary Pokémon. Tobias smiled at this.

"I can't deny you've surprised me, but I'm afraid you'll need more than that to beat me."

'Sure, that had been too easy,' Ash thought, unfazed, and smiling too. After all, he still had a couple tricks in reserve.

Indeed, Tobias knew perfectly Ash still had a trump card he'd have to use if he wanted to stand a chance against them. He had been keeping track of Ash's exploits for years, and he had seen that fight in the Kalos League finals. He was hoping to see with his own eyes that power. Ash, meanwhile, wasn't planning on saving it forever, but due to the physical and mental strain it brought, he had to wait for the right time.

"Greninja, Water Shuriken!" Ash called. Tobias wondered if his opponent was playing hard on purpose. Would he have to put him between a rock and a hard place to get him to use it? So be it.

"Use Sheer Cold on the rain clouds, Kyogre," Tobias commanded, strangely motivated.

While this attack had a high risk in hitting a moving target, a stationary one was a different case. The clouds became thicker and darker, causing a friction between them Tobias planned to use later.

"Scald!" Tobias's voice resounded, making way for Kyogre's furious roar. The attack normally was a stream of water close to the ebullition point, but the Legendary Pokémon's power made it look more like a pure steam Surf.

"What are they up to?" Ash wondered.

At the time, unusual for him, he decided to wait and see, having the feeling that, if he tried to charge forward, he'd find a not very pleasant surprise. What started to happen on the field confirmed it: Kyogre began to flood the entire field with boiling water, creating powerful rising air currents, mixing with the cold air of the clouds. As it was expected, this began creating erratic small typhoons and small whirlpools in the water. All the while, Kyogre stood still in the middle of the boiling water.

"THUNDER, FULL POWER!"

Seeing the lightning bolts raining all over the place, Ash and Greninja knew there was no way for them to survive that in their current state. They had no choice: they had to summon their full hidden power and end the battle.

"GRENINJA, FULL POWER! EEAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRGHH!"

"GRE... NIN... JAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

The lightning bolts striking all over the field blinded everyone's sight. Never in an official tournament had they seen that kind of power, worthy of a Pokémon who was legendary for controlling the marine currents and could potentially expand the sea. Tobias thought Ash should really feel honored; he had forced Kyogre to use his strongest attack, but if they really had the power he had shown in the Kalos League, he expected him to at least survive it. He actually hoped so. However, he was left in shock upon seeing Greninja wasn't only standing. He seemed completely unfazed at the attack, and now, a veil of energized water completely surrounded him. Plus, it actually gave off blue pseudo-electric sparks, giving him a more mysterious appeal and a stronger vibe. It was similar, yet different at what he had seen the last time.

Without uttering a single word, Ash and Greninja stared forward, they leaned ahead and without warning, Greninja flash-stepped in a split-second to get behind Kyogre, his Night Slash blades in the ready to deliver a swift strike, so fast that, if it wasn't because they managed to see the blur of movement, they could have almost believed he had teleported. Completely in shock at the display of power and speed, Tobias barely snapped out of the surprise to react.

"Stop him, Kyogre!" But as soon as he uttered these words, Greninja had landed a critical hit on his opponent's head. The impact sent Kyogre violently over the surface of the water, splashing so hard that some of the spectators ended up wet.

Nevertheless, Kyogre quickly recovered, fueled by his rage and bruised pride. He didn't have to wait for his trainer's orders; he simply launched another Thunder to fuel the storm. The weather phenomenon became more and more brutal, the electric discharges reflecting on the water surface and the supercharged storm clouds, making almost impossible to evade the falling bolts all over the place. But as surprising it was, Greninja dodged every single lightning strike, surprising Tobias with the exponential increase in movement speed, following a simple but effective pattern of getting close, deliver a direct hit, reappearing somewhere else and repeat, all in the middle of the lightning chaos.

Even a Legendary Pokémon had its limits, and Greninja's strikes were bringing Kyogre closer and closer every time, at an alarming speed. In the middle of the beating, Tobias decided to act when he saw them up front.

"BLIZZARD, NOW!" he yelled in desperation, finally breaking the delicate balance to sustain his imposing thunderstorm. Once Kyogre charged up the power to deliver his near-absolute-zero attack, the water surrounding him froze almost instantly, and then fired of with full force a wide artic breath current.

In response, Ash and Greninja created the largest Water Shuriken they had made so far during the encounter, but they materialized it spinning in front of themselves to shield from Kyogre's Blizzard. As it was expected, the cold wind did its job and froze the water star. Tobias looked in surprise how Greninja raised the frozen shuriken over his head and got to see behind him an Ash with an ample grin in his face.

"Thanks a lot, we couldn't have frozen one this big on our own," he said.

Next thing they knew, Greninja lowered the shuriken directly over Kyogre's skull, causing him to groan in pain. And he didn't stop there; he used it as a giant club, twice, thrice, four more times, making Kyogre flinch with each strike. When he was barely breathing, Greninja jumped high and threw it with full force. Ice shards flew around the entire field, but once the sight was clear, the result was evident. Kyogre lied belly up, his mouth semi-open and unable to move. The match was over.

"Kyogre is unable to battle! Greninja is the winner! The match and the championship are for Ash Ketchum, the Pallet Town Coliseum Gladiator!"

The stadium board illuminated, and the spectators gave a huge standing ovation. A battle of legendary proportions had just ended, and it would definitely make history. Ash didn't celebrate victory as usual, since he was too exhausted with the strain of the Bond Phenomenon, and both him and Greninja fell on their rears, but gave each other a thumbs up, breathing heavily. Tobias, meanwhile, returned his Kyogre and looked at his opponent. The energized water veil had vanished from Greninja, and Ash too returned him to his Pokéball, although he was still unable to stand back up. The trainer with the Legendaries decided it was best to show the due respect to the opponent who had beaten him.

"Are you feeling well?" he said, offering him a hand to help him up.

"I'm fine," said Ash, accepting it. "Just a little tired, that's all."

"Well, you didn't just force me to use my full team, you beat me completely," said Tobias. "But I don't feel bad about it. This means you're a lot stronger than in our first encounter, and now you've surpassed me. I see that "Gladiator" title of yours is not just for show."

"All the credit goes for my Pokémon. The power we have comes from the bonds that keep us together," said Ash. "And speaking of bonds…"

In the middle of the cheering, Ash disconnected himself from the world, his sight fixated on the VIP booth where his friends were. Misty and Serena had placed their hands against the glass, trying to see him, both of them smiling in excitement and joy for his victory. And he was happy for that. Not only because he had won the tournament, but because now that he had made it, he felt a lot more confident to do what he had to do. Today was the day, the day to make good on the promise he made to both of them one year before, to give them a proper answer.

* * *

 _ **That night…**_

The celebration for Ash's victory began almost immediately. Aside from the winner's trophy, the prize money he was granted meant he could invite Misty and Serena to the most expensive party hall in the zone, all services included. The rest of the Frontier Brains also came to the party, as well as many of the other tournament participants. Tobias was nowhere to be seen, and while Ash wanted to invite him to, the mysterious trainer said 'parties were not [his] thing' and left shortly after the closure ceremony.

While everyone was having fun in their own particular way, Ash, Misty and Serena decided to leave for a while. Wanting some peace and quiet for a change, the three left for a balcony, taking a moment to admire the night sight and enjoy the nice breeze.

"Wow, this feels great," said Serena, feeling the fresh night wind in her face. "I'm so glad we could make it here."

"Thank the tournament's sponsors," said Ash. "Not even my Frontier Brain income could have afforded a trip here."

"You should take part in tournaments like this more often." Misty giggled. "Shame it only takes place every four years, right?"

"It would be exciting, but it's too much sacrifice just to come here," said Serena. "In any case, now that we're all here alone… I guess the time has come, right?"

Ash nodded. Serena was right; the time to give both girls his final answer had come, just like he had promised. It wasn't easy; both girls were dear and special to him, and having to choose one of them had him spinning his head the entire year. At the very least, though, he could rest assured that nobody would hold grudges regardless of the outcome.

"Well, it certainly helped having one year to think things over," said Ash. "Spending my time with you two has been amazing, and I mean both of you. I can safely say this has been the greatest year in my life. But I've been thinking, maybe we could skip the dating and go directly for a definitive engagement."

Ash pulled out of his pocket a small box. Both girls felt their hears skipping a beat, since it didn't take a genius to guess that Ash had brought a ring and would go directly to ask one of them to marry him. Who would be the lucky one?

"Well, now you two decide. Do you want to hear my reasons, or should I go directly to say whom I chose?" asked Ash. "It's time for the truth. The most important decision in my life, and once I say the word, there's no turning back."

Serena and Misty exchanged glances. At first glance, the answer seemed obvious, but even so… with all they had awaited, maybe it was better to know it at once, without fooling around. Ash could later rant as much as he wanted about his reasons.

"Tell us who you chose," said Misty. "We're both ready for either outcome, you know that, so just go for it."

Ash smiled. That definitely sounded like Misty, and Serena just nodded, clearly agreeing with her friend. Well, that made things easier for him. They wanted an upfront answer, so that he would give them. Taking a deep breath, the boy stepped forward as he opened the box to reveal, indeed, an engagement ring.

"Will you marry me… Serena?"

That was it. The decision had been made. The Kalosian felt her heard flooding in happiness, and only kept her composure out of respect for her friend's feelings. Misty, meanwhile, while feeling a little hurting at Ash's choice, was fully prepared to accept it, and had her response to said scenario in the ready.

"What are you waiting for?" she said to Serena. "Come on, do say yes. We both know you've waited years for this."

"Wow, Misty, you seem to be taking this unusually well," said Ash, a little surprised.

"What did you expect?" she replied. "Though, I think you still have a few things more to say to us, am I wrong?"

"Yeah, that's right." Ash took a deep breath. "Well, I can safely say choosing between you two wasn't easy. I've said it before, you two are my closest friend, and I really care for you both. But when it came to choose one as my romantic partner, there were many things to consider. For starters… Serena always believed in me, and even if I didn't notice, she was a lot more direct to express her feelings. I think the kiss she gave me helped me realize that."

Serena and Misty exchanged glances again. Deep down, the redhead had the feeling she wouldn't like what Ash was about to say, but he had already started and there was no point in stopping now. Even if the truth was painful, it was better to know rather than staying in the dark.

"Misty, maybe there was a time I feel attracted to you, but during our journeys together, sometimes it was hard to put up with you," said Ash. "I admit that during our first year traveling together, I was an immature kid, and most of the beating and yelling I received were well deserved. But you have to admit that, sometimes, you too were cruel with me for no reason, just having fun at my expense without provocation."

"For example?" The redhead arched an eyebrow.

"Remember that time in Navel Island?" Ash pointed. "I didn't mind too much that you compared me to Danny, or that you flirted with him, but the way you were rooting for him, it gave me the feeling you actually _wanted_ me to lose. Do you deny that?"

Misty opened her mouth to say something, but the words became lost. The redhead lowered her head in shame, since Ash was totally right: part of her at the time _did_ want Ash to lose. Maybe just because she wanted Danny to give him a bit of humble pie, but looking back now, she didn't put herself in his position. Now she felt a little guilty for not supporting him as she should have. Serena gave her friend a small glare. She had told her about this once, but apparently, she had kept to herself the juiciest details.

"Also, that time we took part in the Seaking Catching Day," Ash continued. "You won all that chocolate and you shared it with everyone, except with me."

"Why are you complaining?" Misty replied. "In the end, I did give you your due share, didn't I?"

"After everyone else convinced you," Ash retorted. "Admit it, you didn't plan on sharing with me, and I don't recall having done anything for you to leave me out."

"Pikachu." The electric mouse nodded too. Furthermore, he did recall having given Ash a bit of his own portion so as to have 'equal treatment' with everyone else.

"Is that true?" Serena frowned and crossed her arms. "That was really mean, even for you."

Misty blushed and began playing with her thumbs. Looking back now, even though she would boast that she was the most mature between her and Ash, having those occasions pointed at her made her realize that, sometimes, she could be worse than him. At the time it seemed fun, but now… had she been in his place, she'd probably feel hurt had he acted the same way. And in Ash's case, the few times he did so, she was the one who started. It was rare the occasion he would deliberately provoke her to get a reaction out of her, and if he did, it was only during their first year of traveling.

The trainer seemed to realize what went through the redhead's mind, and approached to place a friendly hand on her shoulder. Looking up again, Ash was giving her one of those warm smiles, those only he could give, and she loved so much.

"Listen, I don't hold it against you," said Ash. "You'll always be my best friend, and that will never change. But with our personalities, I think having a relationship would be hard. I think I've grown to see you as an older sister, clingy and annoying, but always being there for me when I need it. Serena, on the other hand…"

Ash and Misty glanced at the Kalosian, who blushed slightly. Even though Ash didn't let out the words directly, Misty knew what he meant. In contrast with her explosive temper, Serena had a much milder and sweet character, not to mention she was more appreciative of the trainer's better qualities from the beginning and wasn't afraid to show it. Furthermore, she never seemed to need a reason to be nice to Ash or do something for him, she did it just because. When did Misty do something like that for Ash that wasn't out of need or obligation? The redhead pretended to have something in her eye, and she smiled as she grabbed both her friends' hands, bringing them together.

"You don't need to say anything," she said. "You both deserve each other. Serena, congratulations, you won our little competition. I'm leaving Ash in your hands, please take good care of him form me."

"I will," Serena promised with a smile.

"And you, Ash, you better make her happy and give her the love she deserves," Misty warned him. "She's a great girl, and if you dare making her suffer, I will know, and it's not going to be pretty."

"Are you threatening me?" Ash replied in amusement. "Do you really think I'd do that?"

"I just want to be sure," said Misty. "If you promise me to treat her well and take care of her, I can rest easy."

Ash rolled his eyes, but he got Misty's point. He was someone who took promises very seriously, either those he made to himself or to other people, and no matter what, he'd always live up to them. Even if Misty didn't say it out loud, that was another of the things she always loved of him. If only she had been more appreciative of that, as well as his other qualities from the beginning.

"I promise. I'll make her happy no matter what," Ash finally said. Then he took the ring, ready to seal the deal. "Alright, now it's time. Are you ready, Serena?"

"As ready as I'll ever be," the girl replied, extending her hand for Ash to put the ring. The boy slid it carefully, and she took her time to admire it. So simple of a detail, and yet so meaningful, it was incredible.

"Hey, you're still missing one last thing," said Misty. "The ring is good and all, but this kind of promises have to be sealed with a kiss, right?"

Ash and Serena simultaneously glanced at Misty, who had an ample smile in her face. A little _too_ ample, actually, and that was a bit unsettling. Seeing the looks on her friends' faces, the redhead arched an eyebrow and placed her arms akimbo.

"Oh, come on, don't look at me like that. A couple isn't official until they don't give each other a great kiss of love, is it?" she insisted. "And you, Serena, it's time for you to kiss him where you should have. You've waited years for this moment."

"But… here, and now?" Serena asked nervously.

"Nobody else is watching," said Misty. "And don't mind me, just pretend I'm not here. Go ahead."

Ash and Serena stared at Misty, and then looked at each other. She was right, the balcony was empty and everyone was too focused on the party to notice their absence. The atmosphere was perfect, and they figured there would be nothing wrong in having Misty as the sole witness of that moment. They both held each other's hands and stared into each other's eyes.

"This is it. Do you want me to initiate this time?" asked Ash.

"I'd love that." Serena smiled. Misty, for her part, stepped away to have a good view of the show, and so did Pikachu.

Ash took a deep breath. He could have just crowned himself as the strongest trainer in the world, but in matters of the heart, even something as simple as kissing a girl, he was still lost. Serena closed her eyes and leaned forward, waiting for him, and he approached carefully, until he softly placed his lips on hers. The Kalosian had awaited this moment for so long, and her patience was finally rewarded. She could barely believe she was receiving a sweet kiss from the boy she had loved her entire life. Nothing, absolutely nothing could ruin this moment…

 _ ***CLICK!***_

Suddenly, that little noise, and what evidently was a camera flash, interrupted Ash and Serena's kiss, who turned around to see a Misty with a camera in hand, and her finger still on the switch. The redhead winked and stuck her tongue out in a mockery gesture.

"Misty!" Ash protested.

"What? This is history in the making, my best friend's first kiss," Misty replied. "Isn't just fair that I capture this moment for posterity?"

"Why you… give me that camera!"

"In your dreams!" She stepped away from Ash. "Pikachu, catch!"

"Pika!" Misty threw the camera in the air and Pikachu leapt to grab it, and then ran off with it.

"Get back here!" Ash yelled, running off after his partner, who kept the artifact in his mouth while going back into the party hall.

While Ash ran off, Misty laughed out loud, while Serena was left completely puzzled, unsure as to what to say or do. The redhead approached her and showed that she had discreetly pulled out the camera's memory, so even if Ash did catch Pikachu, it'd be for naught.

"Sorry, I couldn't resist," said Misty. "But I figured you'd like a reminder of this moment. Better to capture it forever."

"You don't have to apologize," said Serena. "It's not just for me, right?"

"Obviously not," Misty replied. "You don't mind that I keep a copy for me, do you?"

"Not at all," said Serena, as the two glanced at Ash still running after Pikachu all over the hall.

It might seem weird that Misty wanted to keep a photo of that kiss between Ash and Serena, but it was her way to keep the memory of that important moment. After all, her best friend had finally found the love of his life, and she had to feel happy, even if it wasn't her. That was the pact she made with Serena after all. Even if she hadn't been chosen, she'd do her best to help them be as happy as they could be.

* * *

 _ **Vaniville Town, nine months later…**_

The grand day had finally come. Serena had spent the whole morning in her house, mentally and physically preparing herself. Her mother Grace and Bonnie had been helping her with her dress, and upon seeing herself in the mirror, the three women marveled at the vision. Serena's dress was relatively modest, but it highlighted her slim figure, and her veil was held by a fine silver tiara that made her look like a princess. On her wrists, she wore a pair of matching bracelets, the perfect complement.

"Serena, you look stunning!" said Bonnie, stars sparkling in her eyes.

"You're so beautiful today," Grace added. "I can't believe how much time has passed, my daughter is about to get married!"

"I'm so nervous," Serena admitted. "It's the most important day of my life."

"Everything's going to be alright," said Grace, hugging her. "You'll leave everyone dazzled."

"Especially Ash," added Bonnie, and then kneeled to make her 'please take care of my brother' pose. "Oh, this is so romantic! I wish I was old enough to catch the bouquet!"

Serena and Grace let out a chuckle at this. A few months before, Clemont had finally formalized his relationship with Lilia, the daughter of the robotics company Orangics. It was so weird that during their first encounter, Bonnie wasn't keen on the idea of this girl taking away her brother (never mind that _she_ had asked her like many others to 'take care of him'). But destiny could be curious at times, and they met again. One thing led to another, and Lilia's father quickly took a liking to the young inventor. In less than a year, he had given them their blessing, and Serena and Grace recalled how Bonnie tried to make her way to catch the bouquet, but she was pushed away due to being underage. In the end, Serena caught it, and now, here she was.

"Well, let's not make your fiancé wait any longer," said Grace. "It's time."

Serena nodded, and grabbing her own bouquet, she left the house. The ceremony would take place in the local church, and the reception party would be at a nearby grove outdoors. It would be a relatively modest party, and they even hired a special service with Pokémon using Sunny Day, so as to make sure the weather wouldn't spoil their party (they didn't trust weather forecasts too much).

At first Grace suggested her to go riding the family's Rhyhorn, but Serena finally declined. Riding it sideways with that dress would be too uncomfortable and it might even ruin her arrival. For a change, Grace didn't protest; just this once in her life she was willing to accept every minor whim without trying to sway her. It was Serena's most important day ever, and she deserved to be happy. Instead of Rhyhorn, among the service they hired, one of the Pokémon they had for the weather was a Rapidash, and Serena decided to choose that one as her mount to go to the church. The place wasn't too far from her home anyway, so they could walk easily, but Serena felt like making a grand entrance, so Bonnie and Grace went ahead to wait for her.

"The time has come." Serena looked at her watch and placed her hand on her chest. Exhaling to try and ease her nerves, the girl looked ahead with determination. "Let's go, Rapidash."

The fire horse began going on a soft trot. Serena felt a little childish for a bit, like she was a fairy tale princess about to have her 'Happily Ever After', but even though the idea made her laugh, she had accepted that part of herself long ago, and now, her future with the man she loved depended on seeing it with the perspective of an adult woman.

The local church was already full with all of the friends and neighbors from Vaniville Town on the bride's side, and most of Ash's friends on the groom's side, at least those who could attend. Many had sent gifts or cards to congratulate them, as not all of them were able to take a flight or a ship to come in person. Among those who could attend were: Delia Ketchum, Ash's mother; Professor Samuel Oak and his grandson Gary, who were doing a collaborative work along with Professor Sycamore, the female coordinators May and Dawn, who took part in the Kalos Grand Festival, and last but not least, her love-rival-and-still-best-friend, Misty. The redhead waved at her, and Serena replied in the same way Serena was glad to see some familiar faces on her side: among them Shauna, Trevor and Tierno (who almost looked about to burst into tears for some reason), as well as some of her former rivals, like Aria and Miette (who gave her a "You go, girl!" gesture as soon as she saw her) and even guests on the level of Palermo and Diantha, who took some time off of their business to attend this special day. That made her really happy.

Ash was already in his place, next to him Clemont as the best man. Ash had tried to contact another friend, the Pewter City Gym Leader, but when he called, his family told him he was on vacation with his own girlfriend and couldn't get in time, so he asked Clemont to fill in. His companion, Lilia, was also sitting among the guests. The music started, and along with it the ceremony.

All the while during the wedding, Serena and Ash became disconnected from the rest of the world, only paying attention the times they had to answer the minister's questions and make their vows. The rest of the time they were only focused on one another, waiting for the moment. The wait was long, but it was finally over.

"… if someone objects to this union, speak now or forever hold your peace."

"HOLD OOOOOOOOOONNNNN!" a voice suddenly shouted, surprising the guests. Someone _actually_ objected?

Well, not exactly, since the newly arrived were none other than a very well know trio to most everyone present, although quite changed in appearance. Jessie had come wearing her most elegant dress, purple and tight and having a good opening showing off her left leg, and her hair cut short and tied in a bun. She also had a stole around her shoulders and a fan in her hand, an outfit perfect for Pokémon Contests and Showcases, except that she wasn't wearing a mask to go incognito. Inversely, James had let his hair grow long enough to make himself a long ponytail, and was wearing a tuxedo with a dark purple jacket, matching Jessie's dress. Even Meowth himself had donned his own bow tie for the occasion. Immediately the leader of the (former) Team Rocket trio extended her fan and announced herself.

"Prepare for the marriage, but you could have waited for us!" She began dancing.

"And make it double, sorry we got lost!"

"But here we are, let the show go on!" added Meowth.

"Wobbuffet!"

"About time," Misty got up from her seat. "We were starting to believe you guys weren't coming."

"We humbly apologize for the interruption," said Jessie in a sweet tone, and then switched to her deadliest glare as she turned to Meowth. "If only _someone_ hadn't lost our invitations while we were at the airport…"

"You're blaming _me_? _You_ were supposed to hold on to them."

"There, there, easy now you two," said James. "All that matters is that we're here, and we didn't miss the most important moment."

"That's right! Everyone, please be happy, the soul of all parties has arrived, the great Jessie is here!" She raised her hand holding the fan as well as her leg as high as she could, doing some twirls to the amusement of many, and the embarrassment of others. But before she got carried away too much, James got a hold of her.

"Jessie, Jessie, get a hold of yourself. Remember our wedding was last month, and you could show off all you wanted, but we need to control ourselves here," he said.

"Oh, sorry, I think I just became excited." Jessie seemed genuinely ashamed of her behavior. "Please go on, don't mind us!"

Ash and the others just shrugged, unsure as to what to say or do. Many things had happened in the past year: Jessie, James and Meowth had decided to finally turn over a new leaf and leave their bad habits behind for good. They were actually doing pretty well. Looking back, those three were never good at being bad guys, and all they needed was a little push in the right direction, though some things didn't change. One of them being how much Jessie _loved_ being in the spotlight.

"Ahem… as I was saying, if nobody objects to this union…" the minister continued. "For the power I've been granted today, I hereby declare you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride."

The couple then turned to one another, their eyes fixated on the other. Serena's heart had sped up a million fold; she could barely believe this was actually happening. If this was a dream, she didn't want to wake up. Ash carefully lifted the veil and gave her his best smile. Serena closed her eyes and waited, feeling how Ash softly lifted her by the chin, and then placed his lips on hers. Although her heart felt like it could burst out of her chest at any moment, it slowly calmed down, at the realization that this wasn't a dream. Not anymore at least. In that instant, not even the cheers and applause were able to get her out of her small world, where only she and Ash existed. Finally, they had to separate to breathe and greet their guests. Ash surprisingly took hold of her waist and carried her in his arms before announcing:

"Alright, folks, the party isn't over yet! The reception's coming up, who's with me?!"

Everyone replied in unison with more cheering and a more thunderous applause, while Ash took his now wife in his arms. Serena was surprised that he was carrying her as if she was as light as a feather.

"Ash… I can walk, you don't have to carry me," she said when she finally could speak again.

"I know, but let me do it just this once," he replied. "I want to enjoy this moment, don't you?"

Serena thought it was embarrassing. She had stopped being a fragile and vulnerable girl long ago, and she didn't want to be seen like that anymore. Nevertheless, she felt so happy now, she figured it wouldn't do any harm, and she let Ash carry her all the way out of the church, until they mounted together the Rapidash who brought her. Now everyone would go to the grove to begin the reception.

…

Despite how modest they wanted the celebration to be, it quickly became anything but that, since many wanted to party big time. In fact, the first one who wanted to make a show was Jessie, who challenged Aria and Miette to an impromptu Pokémon Showcase to delight the crowd and the new married couple. James and Meowth rolled their eyes, as that was just an excuse for her to have her fifteen minutes under the spotlight, but since nobody objected, they agreed. Since they didn't have the light wands, the crowd decided with their applause, and the winner was Aria, while Miette and Jessie began fighting over which of the two ended up in second place. After the 'opening event', the band finally started playing the newlywed waltz, and everyone took their time to admire the happy couple.

"You're doing great, Ash," said Serena. "I see the dancing classes bore fruit."

"Yeah, it just took me six months to learn the steps," he said a little embarrassed. "At least now I'm not stepping on your feet."

"You weren't doing it so bad," the girl said in amusement. True, Ash had stepped on her at times during the rehearsals, but he never did it on purpose. And now when it really mattered, he did it perfectly.

Looking around, Serena noticed the stares of everyone were fixated on them. The expressions went from uncontrollable excitement, tears of joy and even sadness from some, maybe both things at once. After a while, the time to switch partners came, and the first to approach them was Misty.

"Excuse me, Serena, can I borrow him for a while," she asked. "Don't worry, I'll make sure to return him intact."

"Of course," said Serena. "Just don't even think about trying anything, alright?"

"Hey, don't think I've forgotten our pact is still in force," Misty replied, pretending to feel hurt at her distrust.

Serena just giggled and gave Misty her place along with Ash so they could dance. Meanwhile, she decided to go and rest her feet for a while, sitting next to the table and having a drink. Not long after, someone sat next to her, and it was none other than Miette.

"Well, well, I can finally talk to you as it should be," the bluenette said. "You look really happy today, but that's no wonder. You're marrying the best prospect ever, the Intercontinental Pokémon Champion!"

"I don't care for his titles or his achievements," said Serena. "All I care is that he's Ash, and he remains that way."

"I know. But really, I'm very happy for you." Miette looked at Ash dancing with Misty, noticing they seemed to be chatting as they danced. "By the way, aren't you worried that girl is too close to Ash?"

"Not at all," replied Serena. "I trust her."

"Well, correct me if I'm wrong, but… I've seen that look, and it's the look of a girl in love. You always had it whenever you were around him," the bluenette said.

"You're not too far off," Serena admitted. "Misty was in love with him for a long time. Maybe she still harbors feelings for him. But I'm not worried."

"Why do you say that?" Miette inquired, quite interested. She knew Serena's reactions whenever another girl was close to Ash, and they weren't at all like this.

"Misty and I made a pact. We'd compete fairly for Ash, and regardless of who he would choose, the other would support them. Besides, she helped me in a lot of things. She taught me to be firmer and to defend what's rightfully mine with more character. And I'm really grateful for that."

"Oh, so that means, if I hypothetically tried to snatch Ash away…?"

"Don't even dream about it," Serena interrupted, in a polite but firm tone, making it clear that she wouldn't accept that, not even as a joke.

Miette flinched a little as she saw Serena's glare. Not as much to call it a 'Death Glare' or something, but even then, she saw a glint in her eyes that made her realize, for a split second, she wouldn't let anybody mess with her man. And seeing Ash again dancing with Misty, she realized that, indeed, they were just acting as friends, and occasionally glanced in their direction.

"Serena!" Suddenly Tierno, along with Trevor, approached them. "I just wanted to say, I'm really happy for you both and I wish you the best!"

"I think there's no need to say it that loud," the young trainer-photographer said. "But yeah, we're really happy for you both."

"Serena, I was wondering if you'd like… owowowowowow!" Whatever he was about to ask of Serena, Shauna interrupted him by pulling his ear.

"Excuse us for a moment, we need to talk about something important. By the way, Serena, congratulations," the girl said.

"Er… thanks."

Serena giggled nervously, while Shauna took the fat young man (who was actually not as fat as years ago). Miette stood up and asked Trevor if he wanted to dance for a bit, and he gladly accepted. Serena remained alone for a while, but it didn't take long for someone else to come to chat with her.

"It's finally my turn." It was her now mother-in-law. "You look really gorgeous today, Serena."

"Thank you, Ms. Ketchum." Serena blushed slightly.

"You don't have to be so formal, you can call me Delia," the woman said. "We're now officially family, after all."

Serena smiled, and they both glanced at the dancing floor. Misty and Ash had finally separated, and each had gone his own way to get something to drink. Delia thought it was ironic. For years, she was hoping that Ash would finally settle for a relationship, and for a while she thought it would be with Misty. But she didn't question his decision. Serena was a really beautiful and sweet girl, the type of daughter she would have liked to have, should that have been the case.

"By the way, didn't you get too tired baking that cake?" said Delia, watching the aforementioned wedding cake, resting on a rolling table. Serena offered to bake it herself to save some money in the service.

"It was well worth it, if it's for Ash," said Serena.

"Well, the woman who marries my son has to be ready to sate his appetite." Delia smiled. "I'm anxious to see how great of a cook you really are, from what Ash has told me."

"I'll do my best," Serena sheepishly replied.

"But leaving aside the food topic…" Delia took on a nostalgic expression. "Ash is my only son, he's the most important thing in my life. Please take good care of him for me."

"I will," Serena said firmly. "He's done so much for me all this time, and I'm sure to return it in full."

The rest of the party went on normally. Well, as normally as it could be the celebration of a Pokémon trainer who had had all kinds of adventures in his life and then some, and where the guests included Pokémon researchers, trainers, coordinators and performers who had seen everything, as well as three former members of a criminal syndicate, After a lot of dancing, singing and chatting with the guests (and a failed karaoke from a Jessie who clearly drank of the wrong mix), Misty quickly called for everyone's attention.

"Alright everyone! Come closer!" the redhead said, raising her glass. "Today is a very important day. It's the start of a new life for two people very special for all of us. I propose a toast, to Ash and Serena!"

"TO ASH AND SERENA!" everyone shouted, raising their glasses as well, and those who were close enough clanked them. Jessie ended up breaking hers when she did it with James.

"Aw, drat, these glasses are too fragile," the ex-Rocket female complained.

"No, you're the one who's too strong," said James.

"Thank you, thank you very much you all. It means a lot that you've all come in this important day," said Ash, raising his own glass and holding Serena with his other hand. "And that too goes for those who couldn't attend for any major force causes, but they're still here in spirit. And now, so you can enjoy one of the many talents of my lovely Serena here… BRING IN THE CAKE!"

Immediately, the service brought in the huge wedding cake. The biggest many had seen in their entire life, but for someone like Ash Ketchum, it couldn't be any other way.

"That cake is too big to cut by ourselves." Clemont stepped up. "Let me help you!"

"Brother, what are you doing?" asked Bonnie. "Oh no, I hope you're not thinking…"

"Hehehe… it's time for science to open the way to the future!" he said adjusting his glasses. "Clemontic Gear ON!"

Saying this, Clemont pulled out a remote control and pressed the large red button. It summoned a robot whose face was very similar to Clembot as Ash recalled, but it had been designed to look like a pastry chef, wearing an apron, hat and everything else. Instead of legs, it had four wheels, and four extensible arms, two of which held a knife and server, and the other two a tray.

"Let me introduce you, Pastry Chef Clembot 5000!" the inventor announced. "The latest in technology to mix, bake and of course serve the best cakes in the world! Switch ON!"

Pressing again the button in the remote control, Pastry Chef Clembot began running in circles around the cake and began cutting the slices and placing them on the tray for the guests. At first, everything went good, until it began going faster and cutting more than necessary, leaving marks on the cloth and the table. Clemont began pushing the remote control, trying to stop it, but it went more and more frenetic, giving off sparks and smoke.

"Take cover, it's going to explode!" Bonnie shouted, muttering 'as always' through her teeth.

Ash and Clemont ran off trying to stop it, but they couldn't do anything, and just like Bonnie said, the robot exploded. Furthermore, due to being too close to the cake, the explosion caught it as well and everyone nearby got splashed with the icing. As the smoke cleared, Ash and Clemont lied on the ground, all charred.

The Pallet Town trainer barely muttered, "The power… of science… is amazing…"

"Pikapi!" Pikachu shouted, going to check on his trainer. Serena did so as well, to make sure he was alright. Bonnie and Lilia did the same with Clemont.

"Are you alright, Ash?" asked Serena. Ash only replied with a nod while she helped him get back up.

"Clemont, the prototype wasn't ready yet," said Lilia. "What were you thinking?"

"Oh, Brother, it's always the same with you and your wacky inventions," said Bonnie.

"Oh dang!" shouted Ash, seeing the mess. "The cake is ruined!"

"Don't worry," Serena assured him. "I felt something like this could happen, and I prepared for it."

"What do you mean?" asked Ash.

Serena just winked, and gave a look to her Delphox, one that clearly said "You know what to do". The fire vulpine ran off and a few minutes later she came back, pushing a cart with another cake, identical in size and decoration to the one they had just blown up.

"You made a second cake?" asked Ash, surprised and relieved.

"I wanted it to be just for us, but just in case something like this could happen to the other, it came in handy," said Serena. "I think we better cut this one the old fashioned way."

Everyone laughed, although those who ended up splashed on icing and leftovers of the other cake, decided to clean it up the only possible way: eating it. Ash and Clemont had to go get a couple of spare tuxedos, which Serena had also ordered in the wedding service. It seemed the Kalosian had foreseen everything that could happen in this celebration. That being the case, surely enough she'd be prepared for anything that would come up in her future life with Ash.

After eating a lot of cake, and the celebration going longer than it should, the time for the newly married couple to depart finally arrived. Instead of leaving on the Rapidash, though, Ash decided that they would fly, and brought out his Pidgeot. Equipped with his own Pidgeotite (which he rarely got to use in combat), the bird was ready to take off with the couple (and Pikachu) on his back.

"Alright everyone!" said Misty. "Get in line, the bouquet's coming!"

"Me too, me too!" said Bonnie, until a hand grabbed her by the collar and lifted her, leaving her running in the air.

"Where do you think you're going, little runt?" said Jessie. "You're too young for the bouquet."

"So what? You're married, you can't get in either!" the blonde protested.

"Serena, be nice and toss it to me!" Miette cried out.

"Don't get started!" Shauna piped in. "Toss it to me!"

Serena just rolled her eyes. Ash activated Mega Evolution, and the bird increased in size enough to carry them both. Carefully, Ash helped Serena up, and the girl prepared to toss her bouquet, with all the girls awaiting anxiously, ready to make their way by pushing the others if needed (even Jessie). Pidgeot took off and in the middle of the wind currents he whipped up as he flapped, Serena tossed the bouquet.

"Mine, mine, mine!" all the girls shouted at once.

Pidgeot's flapping caused the bouquet to float from one side to another in the wind currents, and all ladies jumped to try and get ahead to catch it. Jessie had the 'bright' idea of using Shauna and Miette as stepping stones to jump over them, but it backfired when the grabbed her angles and pulled her to make her fall face first. This left the way clear for Misty, who was standing behind and could leap to catch it herself. The three girls on the ground and everyone else frowned.

"Sorry girls, I think this one is mine," she said, winking. She then turned towards Ash and Serena as they flew away, and she waved them goodbye. "I wish you both the best, be as happy as you can and stick together no matter what!"

The rest of the guests quickly joined in and bid them a hearty farewell. The couple replied in the same fashion, while Pidgeot flew away, towards the setting sun in the horizon.

"Well, were are we going now?" asked Serena.

"I booked a place for us in Lumiose," said Ash. "With Pidgeot, we'll be there in a couple hours."

"I almost can't believe we're together," said Serena. "I've dreamed of this my entire life."

"I hope I can make your dreams come true." Ash held her hands. "I know Misty, my mom and many other people told you to take care of me, but… I have my own share of that responsibility. To take care of you as well."

"Don't worry about it," said Serena. "I wouldn't place my life in the hands of someone I didn't trust so much."

"Whatever the future has in store for us, I just hope you're there to face it with me," said Ash.

"Always."

As they continued their flight, everyone back down in the grove watched Pidgeot's silhouette flying away in the horizon, although they could still tell when the couple kissed, and as it was expected, many cheered it and others cried their eyes out. But the general sentiment was that everyone was happy for the couple. Especially a certain Gym Leader, who didn't feel like she had lost the love of her life. Instead, she felt that she had helped her best friend find the happiness with someone who would give him all the love he deserved.

They were leaving a stage behind to start a new one. The beginning of the rest of their lives.

* * *

 _ **One month later, at the Cerulean Gym…**_

Once the last challenger of the day left, Misty decided it was time to close the Gym. Dropping herself on the couch, the redhead went to take a well-earned break. The place was starting to feel a little lonesome, with Daisy on vacation with Tracey, and Violet back to the Pokémon Showcases. Even Lily herself was considering the chance to try her hand in her own branch of the show business, but wanting to do something her other sisters hadn't done yet, and she had spent the last few weeks going from one talent agency to another, since many wanted to hire her. That left the youngest sister with a lot of time alone.

Misty glanced at the photos hung on the wall. Next to the old ones of her adventures with Ash now there were a few of the past two years, starting with those vacations in Alola, and ending on Ash and Serena's wedding. In the middle of all, however, the most prominent was that one she had snapped when they kissed (of which she made sure to get a good enlargement), and always laughed when she saw it. Her sisters didn't get how she could keep a photo of what they called the moment Misty lost the love of her life to another girl, let alone be happy when she saw it. She just said "Don't ask, you wouldn't understand". As a matter of fact, she was too happy for Ash and Serena to have room for self-pity or grudges.

That said, she did feel a little lonely at her gym. At the time, Ash and Serena were still in their honeymoon, and the last thing she wanted was to make a bad third on them. She wouldn't bother them until they returned. The rest of her friends were also busy with their own stuff, so they weren't available to hang out with her. The challengers were coming in lesser numbers and less frequently, and recently she had gotten a message from none other than Lorelei, announcing her retirement from the Elite Four and searching for a replacement. Would she dare accept it?

"Misty, the entrance communicator is ringing," Lily called out.

"You're closer, you answer it!" the redhead replied, stretching herself on the couch to relieve the stress. At the time, all she wanted was some rest, but after a couple minutes, Lily called her out again.

"It's someone coming to see you!" she said.

Misty sighed, but finally decided 'if I must', and stood up. Who could be visiting her in a day like this? Normally he didn't get visits during work days, since she took care of the gym full time, and it annoyed her once she was done for the day.

"It better be important," she said as she walked to the entrance.

Much to her surprise, it was a face she hadn't seen in a very long time. A young man just a little older than her, with auburn hair and black eyes. Now she was tall enough to look at him on eye level, but he was still unmistakable.

"Rudy?" she asked upon recognizing him. The boy greeted her with his hand and a smile.

"Hey, Misty, long time no see."

Indeed, the Trovita Island Gym Leader in the flesh. They had only met once many years ago, although she hadn't forgotten that encounter. After snapping out of her surprise, she invited him in to take a seat in the living room.

As she went for something to drink, the Orange Crew trainer sat on the couch, glancing at his surroundings, especially the photos. He could see Misty had many in the company of his 'rival', Ash Ketchum, but he was quite surprised at some in particular. The Intercontinental Pokémon Champion's wedding was an event the media had a feast with, and of course the Orange Islands were not exempt from the news. But Rudy was surprised to learn that the bride in said wedding wasn't Misty, and even more to see that she not only had photos of said wedding, but also a few showing her with the girl Ash had married, the famous performer-coordinator, Kalos and Kanto Queen and more recently, Grand Coordinator in the first Kalos Grand Festival, Serena Yvonne Gabena.

"I hope you like iced tea, I've got nothing else to offer you," said Misty, bringing two glasses.

"That's fine, thanks," said Rudy, taking a sip. "I'm sorry I showed up unannounced, I was stopping by the neighborhood and thought I could come and say hi."

"That's nice of you," said Misty. "So what brings you to Cerulean City? It's a long way from the Orange Islands."

"Oh, nothing special." Rudy just shrugged. "I was just invited as a dancing instructor to help rookie Pokémon coordinators in contest routines. What about you, how have you been?"

"Pretty well, I'd say, if a little bored," said Misty. "Not many challengers can give me good battles lately. I got an offer from Lorelei to take her place in the Elite Four, but I haven't accepted yet."

"What a great honor." Rudy was quite amazed at this. It was no surprise, though; he knew Misty was a very talented girl. He then glanced at the photos. "I see… you attended Ash's wedding."

"I wouldn't have missed it for the world," Misty replied. "It was my best friend's wedding after all."

"Your best friend?" Rudy inquired. "In our last encounter, I could almost swear you considered him… more than just a friend."

Misty took a more serious expression. It wasn't hard to guess what Rudy tried to imply; after all, it was no secret for her that the Orange Crew Leader was attracted to her, but he did notice that, at the time, Misty only had eyes for Ash.

"Do you know the girl he married?" asked Misty. "You might not know this, but we're actually very good friends. We might have different interests, but there was one thing we bonded over: our love for Ash."

Rudy tilted his head, quite intrigued at this. It wasn't hard to guess what was going through his head: Misty being friends with someone who was her love rival for Ash Ketchum? Unthinkable in most cases, but as the saying goes, the exception proves the rule.

"I know what you're thinking," said Misty. "Thing is, we became friends unaware that the other knew Ash. After sharing out stories, I realized that her feelings weren't shallow at all. She really felt something very deep for Ash, as much as me. And being such a nice girl, it didn't seem fair not to give her a chance to win his affection."

"I see," said Rudy. That sounded… interesting. He then glanced at the photo showing Ash and Serena kissing. "What about that one?"

"I thought I could keep a memento." Misty smiled in amusement. "I took that photo. You should have seen their faces, they were priceless."

"Oh?" Rudy raised both eyebrows upon hearing that. He didn't expect it.

"In any case, Serena and I decided to make a little… competition," Misty explained. "In the end, she was the winner."

"Then Ash must have some peculiar tastes," said Rudy. The 'I-wouldn't-have-let-you-go' vibe didn't go unnoticed by Misty in that statement.

"Don't misjudge her," said Misty. "You might have not noticed that time, but my relationship with Ash wasn't exactly all pink and happy. I won't deny, back then I was attracted to him, but I found very hard to be sincere about my feelings. I preferred to hide them behind anger outbursts and provocations. That was the deciding factor."

"Really?"

Misty nodded. "Serena, on the other hand… she was much sweeter and more open about her feelings. She did many things for Ash that I never even tried, and to be honest, I think she deserved him more. She can treat him better, and put up with his quirks better than me."

Rudy couldn't help but notice that Misty's words weren't loaded of mockery, bad blood or resignation of any kind. Even more; judging by her expression, she was genuinely happy for Ash and Serena, almost as if _she_ had been the chosen one.

"Of course, she needed some help with some things," Misty said with a little pride. "I just hope the advice I gave her comes in handy, she'll need it."

"I'm sure of it," said Rudy.

"Well, no more talking about me," said Misty. "Why don't we talk about the reason _you_ are here?"

"Do I need to say it?" Rudy replied. "The only reason I'd come to this place is in front of me, there is no other."

"You came now because Ash is no longer in your way?" asked Misty.

"Can you blame me? Our encounter might have been brief, but I still remember it. I'm still thinking about you after all this time. Listen, so as to not to give you any pressure, would you accept an invitation for dinner with me? Just that, a dinner."

"I don't know," said Misty in a doubtful tone. "I don't want you to think I'm accepting you as a second table dish or something."

"It doesn't have to be that way," said Rudy. "We can take it easy, see if things work out between us. No pressure or engagements."

Misty thought it over. Obviously she hadn't forgotten that, even though she did find Rudy attractive, back then she, maybe without realizing it, had used him just to make Ash jealous. At the time, she made a decision, and even though it had been a long time since then, she didn't feel comfortable to start a relationship yet.

"I appreciate the offer, but I'm not ready yet," said Misty. "I'm sorry."

"Don't worry," he said, standing up. "In any case, if you change your mind, the borders in Trovita Island are always open for you. I have to go now. Take care."

"I'll escort you to the door," said Misty.

As Rudy left, Misty pondered on his words. Truth to be told, part of the reason of declining the invitation was because, between the time of Ash's decision between her and Serena, and his wedding, she hadn't dated anyone. But thinking it over again, maybe now it was a good time to give herself another chance in a relationship. Something wouldn't change, though: Ash would always be important to her, and if he was happy with Serena, why couldn't she be with someone else?

 _ **FIN.**_

* * *

 **Author's notes:**

SURPRISE! Heh, I bet most of you didn't expect this, two final chapters to this story? Well, I had only divulged this to my closest circle of friends, and only they knew my plan was making two endings to this story. A canonical one, and an alternate one, the way I picture things if Ash chooses one or the other. As for which one I consider canonical… I keep that to myself. You can choose the one of your preference.

Starting up, a special credit to **ZeekLaerers,** who was a great help in making the Greninja vs Kyogre battle in the start. I thought it over, if I could get revenge against Alain, why not with Tobias? If we all know his sole presence was what prevented Ash from winning the Sinnoh League. The team I gave him here, it's based on a rumor circling around that, according to one of the Diamond & Pearl openings, two of the remaining members of his team could be an Entei and a Lucario. The Zapdos, I added it based on the team of a simulated battle I saw in a YouTube channel named **FireIgnacioZX,** where he fights Ash's Kalos team (and Ash wins, for the record) **,** but in said simulation the sixth member was a Heatran, so as to not to repeat types and give more coverage, I replaced it with a Kyogre. Since we've seen Kyogre in the anime, let's just pretend this one was the one caught in the Embedded Tower, alright? Also, having Ash using two Megas in a single fight, while in the game you can use only one per battle, let me explain. The game only gives _one_ Key Stone to the player, and it can only connect to one Mega Stone at once. Once the effect is over, the Key Stone needs to "recharge", but in Tag Battles, every player is free to activate their Mega Evolution, and taking into account that each one has their own Key Stone, I came to the conclusion that if one trainer has in his possession more than one Key Stone, that would enable them to summon more than one Mega Pokémon per battle. That and it was the only way I could think to more or less match Ash's team in power against Tobias's enough so he could actually win. I'm planning on using it on future stories. And I'm sorry I didn't show the battle in full, but given its relevance to the story, it would have been too long. Maybe in a separate oneshot, what do you think?

Now, moving on to the story. Here, I listed the reasons for Ash to choose Serena over Misty. Those like me who have been in the Pokémon fandom for so long have seen many interviews with the voice actors, and I'd like to share the thoughts of Gabo Ramos and Xóchitl Ugarte (voices of Ash and Misty in Latin America), since I think nobody know better fictional characters than the actors who portray/voice them. In Gabo's case, he supported PokéShipping all the way during his run as Ash's voice (until the last third of the D&P saga), but when he saw the kiss Serena gave him at the end of the XY saga, he immediately jumped ship. And I can't blame him; even I as a PokéShipper found that scene really sweet, and I've told several times that I grew fond of Serena. On the side of Misty… Xóchitl said she'd probably VERY jealous, but in the end would accept it. In the meantime, here's another special credit, this time for **Zilia-K,** who suggested me the scene with Clemont and the cake. el pastel. Some things shouldn't change, like our young inventor and his "rushed prototypes" failures.

OK, so for now I'm skipping the thanks for the reviews, I'll put those in the next one. Clear enough, this ending is for the AmourShippers, so move on to the next to see the one for the PokéShippers. Heads up; those who do it, the beginning is the same, so you can skip to the part where Ash and Tobias's battle ends. See you there.


	9. Epilogue B

**Crossroads – Between a Mermaid and a Princess.**

 **By Fox McCloude.**

 **Disclaimer:** Pokémon and all related characters belong to Satoshi Tajiri and Nintendo. All rights reserved.

 **Epilogue B.**

* * *

 _ **Pokémon Intercontinental Champions' Tournament, one year later…**_

Here he was. The highest summit of Pokémon trainers, the peak of the best, and the maximum championship any trainer could aspire to. This was the final stepping stone for any trainer whose dream was to be crowned as the greatest Pokémon Master in the world, for they who could win here would have the right to call himself as the strongest trainer of all.

The Pokémon Intercontinental Champions' Tournament took place every four years, and entry was extremely limited. Out of millions of trainer around the entire Pokémon World, only the best of the best had a shot, between Regional Champions, Elite Four Members, and more sporadically regular winners of Pokémon League Conferences. The Kanto Battle Frontier was a special case, since they only opened a slot for them, which the eight Frontier Brains had to compete for, having to resort to their own internal tournament to choose who would represent them. The finals were decided in a tough three-vs-three battle, where the All-Stars trio formed by Ash's Charizard, Sceptile and Greninja had to face Brandon's three Regis, but in the end, Ash's team prevailed. After this, the boy from Pallet Town promised his Frontier colleagues he would win the tournament not just for himself, but for them.

To describe his performance in one single word, the best way to put it would be "stellar". Despite being the only representative of Kanto's Frontier, Ash rose through the rounds slowly but surely, defeating with great difficulty opponents on the level of Lorelei, Lance, Diantha and Steven Stone, among others, until he crowned himself winner of the A-Block. All of his opponents praised his skills and wished him the best of luck in the grand finale, where he would face the winner of the B-Block. That battle promised to be of legendary proportions, in more than one sense.

It goes without saying that Ash was quite surprised to know that his opponent, the winner of the B-Block, was none other than Tobias. That mysterious trainer who swept the floor with him and the rest of his team in the Sinnoh League, using only his Darkrai and Latios. Now that he was facing against other champions, for the first time many could get a good look of his team, but so far, none of them had managed to reach his final Pokémon. The farthest they had gone had been his fifth, and that was Cynthia, whose Mega Garchomp managed to achieve a Double KO in the B-Block's finale. At this point, everything had placed their hopes in Ash, so he would be the one to reveal (and if possible, defeat) Tobias's sixth Pokémon.

Inside the VIP booth, the other Frontier Brains watched the match in expectation. Even though they had managed to get tickets for Ash's closest friends, most of them were unable to make the trip due to other compromises, but they were rooting for him as they watched live in their respective homes. The two who did make a superhuman effort to attend and watch this match in person were Misty and Serena. At the time, both girls had their hands intertwined, while they held their free hands against their chests, feeling their hearts pounding in excitement, and wishing with all of their hearts for Ash to come out victorious. This didn't go unnoticed by Anabel, who at this point was aware of the feelings these two girls held for Ash, and she thought they were _very_ lucky.

The board was showing the results up to that point, and Tobias's team had been almost fully revealed. Just like years before in the Sinnoh League, he started with Darkrai, and even though he managed to knock out Ash's Tyranitar, he didn't come out unscathed, and Pidgeot was able was able to defeat him with a lot of difficulty. Tobias then brought out his Latios to start a spectacular aerial battle, in which Latios finally came out victorious, although just like Tyranitar, Pidgeot didn't go down gentle and managed to inflict a burn condition with his Heat Wave attack before being knocked out, which caused problems for Latios in the next round. Pikachu then took over and this time, he was able to defeat him without being knocked out, and not having even to use his trump card, letting Ash save it for later. Tobias's third Pokémon was an Entei, so Ash decided to fight fire with fire, with Charizard. Although the seemed evenly matched, Ash activated Mega Evolution and won, this being the first time someone managed to get ahead of Tobias in the entire tournament. Tobias, however, also had his own Mega Pokémon in wait. A Lucario, the only non-Legendary in his team, but he definitely was up to par with the rest of his teammates, and Charizard was unable to beat him despite the type advantage. Sceptile took over and Ash also triggered Mega Evolution with him using his second Key Stone (he had taken it as an additional reinforcement), but even then, he was unable to beat Lucario, though he did injure him enough for Pikachu to finish the job. Next, there was an electric duel where Ash's starter bravely fought against a Zapdos who endured almost all of his attacks. In a desperate effort, Ash and Pikachu used their Z-Move, and for the first time it seemed like Zapdos did feel that one. Unfortunately, Pikachu ended up using all his remaining power in that last attack, and Zapdos took him out. Ash ran off to the field to pick up his partner, and had an attendant to take him away. Upon returning to his place, the trainer grabbed his final Pokéball. Now it was all or nothing.

"It's time. Greninja, I choose you!" he shouted as he threw the ball.

"Ninja!" The ninja frog appeared on the field, and took his battle stance as he awaited his orders.

"You've fought well, Ash. But that Greninja won't be able to defeat my Zapdos. Use Thunder!" Tobias commanded, and the electric bird summoned a lightning bolt to fall on top of Greninja.

"Double Team!" Ash countered.

Greninja multiplied himself all over the field, and Zapdos' Thunder hit one of his copies, dissipating it. Even Legendary Pokémon seemed to have their limits, and Pikachu's Z-Move clearly had done a number on Zapdos. Ash only had Greninja while Tobias still had one more Pokémon in wait, but if he was careful, Ash could avoid taking too much damage and have Greninja still in condition to fight anything that came after.

Zapdos kept firing his electric attacks, turning the entire field into a thunderstorm, but Greninja moved so fast between the clones, none of the attacks hit him, and the bird was running out of power. Tobias had a preference to keep his team hidden as much as he could, but everything seemed to point that this would be the first time in his career he would have to show and use his sixth Pokémon. Greninja finally stopped moving, apparently to take a breath, and even though Tobias had the feeling it wasn't a good idea, he decided to take a shot with his strongest attack.

"Zap Cannon, now!" he yelled. Zapdos squawked and began forming a large electric sphere in his beak, bigger and slightly darker than an Electroball. Ash however, already knew what he would do to counter it.

"Prepare Water Shuriken, Greninja!" he called.

The frog formed a large, four-tipped star and held it above his head. Most of those who had followed the tournament knew he'd only do this when it was time to get serious and sentence a match, and this time was no exception. Zapdos then fired his attack. To everyone's shock, except for those who knew Ash, Greninja jumped, not to dodge, but to go _directly_ into the sphere's path. Intercepting it with the Shuriken, it became charged with its power, and spinning in the air, threw it back at Zapdos before it would electrocute him. Zapdos had used all of his remaining strength in that last attack, so he had nothing left to try and dodge or defend himself, taking the full brunt of his own attack along with the Water Shuriken's impact. His wings couldn't hold him in the air anymore and he began to fall, so Ash and Greninja knew that was their chance to deliver the final blow.

"Night Slash, now!" Ash yelled.

"Nin… JAAAAAAAAAA!"

 _ **SLASH!**_ A direct slash on the abdomen, and Zapdos was down, still giving of sparks of the last attack. Tobias was quite surprised. When he faced this boy so many years ago, he was the first who forced him to use a second Pokémon, even knocking it out. Now, he was not only giving him the greatest battle in his life, but for the first time, someone had driven him to use his full force.

"Return, Zapdos." After retrieving the bird, Tobias took his sixth and final Pokéball. "Ash, this has been the greatest match I've ever had in my life, and it's the first time someone forces me to use my full team. I congratulate you on that, but I'm not planning to lose now. My last Pokémon, go!"

Everyone looked in expectation, holding their breath to see the final member of Tobias's team. This would be the first time everyone would get to see it. Following the pattern, everyone expected another legendary, and indeed it was, although in Ash's case, it was one he found a little strange, compared to his previous encounters with this particular species.

"Kyogre?" Ash asked upon seeing it. The blue, orca-like Pokémon had extended his flippers, floating in the air, and as soon as he appeared, a downpour rained over the field, clearly his Drizzle ability.

"Surprised?" asked Tobias. "I would imagine this is the first time you fight one of these?"

Ash had to hold back the urge of saying he was surprised, not to see one of these, but the fact it was a lot smaller than he remembered from his previous encounters with this species. After all, in Hoenn, he saw the confrontation between Kyogre and Groudon caused by the meddling of Teams Aqua and Magma, and those were… _continental_ -sized, as he recalled. This one wasn't bigger than 14, maybe 15 feet, and even though he clearly dwarfed Greninja in size and mass, it felt a lot… less imposing than those titans he saw almost destroy the Hoenn region. Then again, giant or not, a Legendary Pokémon couldn't be underestimated. Everything would go down now on the field.

"Kyogre, use Thunder!" Tobias called.

Kyogre roared and charged up power, literally launching a thunderstorm. The rain enabled him to better direct the attack, and only Greninja's own lightning-speed reflexes allowed him to dodge the lightning bolts falling one after the other.

"Greninja, get close and use Night Slash!" Ash shouted.

"Greninja!" Greninja began running in zigzag, trying to dodge the falling bolts, but as he got closer and closer to Kyogre, these grew more accurate until one of them finally struck, forcing him to step back. Tobias smiled at seeing he had gotten the first hit in.

"Origin Pulse!" he called, determined to press forward on the offensive.

Kyogre roared again, this time shooting out of his mouth a few water orbs, which exploded firing of blue energy beams that rained mercilessly upon Greninja. The frog barely managed to dodge using Double Team, but the falling water helped Tobias and Kyogre tell where he was due to the splashing he caused as he moved. Indeed, they were able to spot the real one trying to get lost between the bunch of clones, and while it was hard to intercept him, there was a way to sweep all the clones along with the original at once.

"Now Kyogre, Water Spout!"

Although the Drizzle weakened with each passing second, they decided to use their advantage as long as they could. Kyogre gathered energy, and expelled it along with a furious growl, launching a large amount of water orbs to the clouds above. While Origin Pulse could easily dispel the Greninja clones, Water Spout, while lacking in power could easily sweep any opponent in the nearby area. A few seconds later, water droplets covered in a sky blue energy began raining nonstop, destroying everything they touched. Soon enough, all of the clones vanished, leaving the real Greninja exposed and with nowhere left to run.

"Oh no!" Ash shouted in alarm.

Tobias noticed the Drizzle was almost running out. While he was worried about this, he didn't let it show, still keeping his calm and composed demeanor all the time.

"Hydro Pump," he called in a pleasant voice, determined to take out both Ash and his Pokémon.

"Greninja, Substitute!" Ash yelled at the last second.

"Ninja!"

The frog took on the classic ninja pose, and vanished in a smoke curtain, right on the last second. The Hydro Pump just hit a doll that vanished afterwards, and the real Greninja reappeared right on top of Kyogre, wielding his water blades and ready to strike.

"CUT, NOW!" Ash yelled.

The surprise factor helped, and Greninja was able to deliver his first solid hit in this round, hitting Kyogre with a double cross slash that momentarily brought him to the ground. The frog landed on the other side and turned around to keep up his attack before his opponent recovered.

Tobias estimated that the Drizzle would last enough for one final move, so he and Kyogre decided to try one last counterattack. Perhaps they wouldn't land a direct hit, but it would buy them time to change strategy, once the ability was no longer in play.

"Use Thunder once again, Kyogre!"

Kyogre dragged back the electricity from the storm clouds, but rather than making a thunderstorm all over the field to attack, he focused the attack around himself, as a makeshift shield to keep Greninja away. If he got too close he would take a lot of damage, or so he thought.

"Greninja, charge your Water Shuriken as much as you can!" Ash shouted.

Never stopping his attempt, Ash decided to use the electric barrier on his favor. Greninja created two shurikens, one in each hand, and used them to absorb the power, enduring the electric damage until both start were fully charged. As soon as he could, he jumped high once the electric storm weakened enough to leave Kyogre exposed to the attack. Looking directly into his eyes, he threw the stars one after the other.

"Origin Pulse!" Tobias shouted, briefly losing his composure.

He had no chance to think of a way to counter that attack, other than fighting fire with fire, or in this case, water with water. Kyogre focused his own power and fired the Pulse, which was slightly powered up by the remnants of the Drizzle. The attack was able to stop one of the shurikens, but the electric charge gave it enough power to dispel the water beams, and the second shuriken kept going and hit Kyogre hard.

"Night Slash!" Ash yelled, and Greninja quickly created his twin dark blades, taking advantage of Kyogre's daze and Tobias's shock to shorten de distance, landing two blows under the jaw and throwing him backwards.

Kyogre rolled over violently, getting pretty hurt until he ended belly up on the ground. However, he opened a pair of bloodshot and furious eyes, expelling an aura of power worthy of a Legendary Pokémon. Tobias smiled at this.

"I can't deny you've surprised me, but I'm afraid you'll need more than that to beat me."

' _Sure, that had been too easy,_ ' Ash thought, unfazed, and smiling too. After all, he still had a couple tricks in reserve.

Indeed, Tobias knew perfectly Ash still had a trump card he'd have to use if he wanted to stand a chance against them. He had been keeping track of Ash's exploits for years, and he had seen that fight in the Kalos League finals. He was hoping to see with his own eyes that power. Ash, meanwhile, wasn't planning on saving it forever, but due to the physical and mental strain it brought, he had to wait for the right time.

"Greninja, Water Shuriken!" Ash called. Tobias wondered if his opponent was playing hard on purpose. Would he have to put him between a rock and a hard place to get him to use it? So be it.

"Use Sheer Cold on the rain clouds, Kyogre," Tobias commanded, strangely motivated.

While this attack had a high risk in hitting a moving target, a stationary one was a different case. The clouds became thicker and darker, causing a friction between them Tobias planned to use later.

"Scald!" Tobias's voice resounded, making way for Kyogre's furious roar. The attack normally was a stream of water close to the ebullition point, but the Legendary Pokémon's power made it look more like a pure steam Surf.

"What are they up to?" Ash wondered.

At the time, unusual for him, he decided to wait and see, having the feeling that, if he tried to charge forward, he'd find a not very pleasant surprise. What started to happen on the field confirmed it: Kyogre began to flood the entire field with boiling water, creating powerful rising air currents, mixing with the cold air of the clouds. As it was expected, this began creating erratic small typhoons and small whirlpools in the water. All the while, Kyogre stood still in the middle of the boiling water.

"THUNDER, FULL POWER!"

Seeing the lightning bolts raining all over the place, Ash and Greninja knew there was no way for them to survive that in their current state. They had no choice: they had to summon their full hidden power and end the battle.

"GRENINJA, FULL POWER! EEAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRGHH!"

"GRE... NIN... JAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

The lightning bolts striking all over the field blinded everyone's sight. Never in an official tournament had they seen that kind of power, worthy of a Pokémon who was legendary for controlling the marine currents and could potentially expand the sea. Tobias thought Ash should really feel honored; he had forced Kyogre to use his strongest attack, but if they really had the power he had shown in the Kalos League, he expected him to at least survive it. He actually _hoped_ so. However, he was left in shock upon seeing Greninja wasn't only standing. He seemed completely unfazed at the attack, and now, a veil of energized water completely surrounded him. Plus, it actually gave off blue pseudo-electric sparks, giving him a more mysterious appeal and a stronger vibe. It was similar, yet different at what he had seen the last time.

Without uttering a single word, Ash and Greninja stared forward, they leaned ahead and without warning, Greninja flash-stepped in a split-second to get behind Kyogre, his Night Slash blades in the ready to deliver a swift strike, so fast that, if it wasn't because they managed to see the blur of movement, they could have almost believed he had teleported. Completely in shock at the display of power and speed, Tobias barely snapped out of the surprise to react.

"Stop him, Kyogre!" But as soon as he uttered these words, Greninja had landed a critical hit on his opponent's head. The impact sent Kyogre violently over the surface of the water, splashing so hard that some of the spectators ended up wet.

Nevertheless, Kyogre quickly recovered, fueled by his rage and bruised pride. He didn't have to wait for his trainer's orders; he simply launched another Thunder to fuel the storm. The weather phenomenon became more and more brutal, the electric discharges reflecting on the water surface and the supercharged storm clouds, making almost impossible to evade the falling bolts all over the place. But as surprising it was, Greninja dodged every single lightning strike, surprising Tobias with the exponential increase in movement speed, following a simple but effective pattern of getting close, deliver a direct hit, reappearing somewhere else and repeat, all in the middle of the lightning chaos.

Even a Legendary Pokémon had its limits, and Greninja's strikes were bringing Kyogre closer and closer every time, at an alarming speed. In the middle of the beating, Tobias decided to act when he saw them up front.

"BLIZZARD, NOW!" he yelled in desperation, finally breaking the delicate balance to sustain his imposing thunderstorm. Once Kyogre charged up the power to deliver his near-absolute-zero attack, the water surrounding him froze almost instantly, and then fired of with full force a wide artic breath current.

In response, Ash and Greninja created the largest Water Shuriken they had made so far during the encounter, but they materialized it spinning in front of themselves to shield from Kyogre's Blizzard. As it was expected, the cold wind did its job and froze the water star. Tobias looked in surprise how Greninja raised the frozen shuriken over his head and got to see behind him an Ash with an ample grin in his face.

"Thanks a lot, we couldn't have frozen one this big on our own," he said.

Next thing they knew, Greninja lowered the shuriken directly over Kyogre's skull, causing him to groan in pain. And he didn't stop there; he used it as a giant club, twice, thrice, four more times, making Kyogre flinch with each strike. When he was barely breathing, Greninja jumped high and threw it with full force. Ice shards flew around the entire field, but once the sight was clear, the result was evident. Kyogre lied belly up, his mouth semi-open and unable to move. The match was over.

"Kyogre is unable to battle! Greninja is the winner! The match and the championship are for Ash Ketchum, the Pallet Town Coliseum Gladiator!"

The stadium board illuminated, and the spectators gave a huge standing ovation. A battle of legendary proportions had just ended, and it would definitely make history. Ash didn't celebrate victory as usual, since he was too exhausted with the strain of the Bond Phenomenon, and both him and Greninja fell on their rears, but gave each other a thumbs up, breathing heavily. Tobias, meanwhile, returned his Kyogre and looked at his opponent. The energized water veil had vanished from Greninja, and Ash too returned him to his Pokéball, although he was still unable to stand back up. The trainer with the Legendaries decided it was best to show the due respect to the opponent who had beaten him.

"Are you feeling well?" he said, offering him a hand to help him up.

"I'm fine," said Ash, accepting it. "Just a little tired, that's all."

"Well, you didn't just force me to use my full team, you beat me completely," said Tobias. "But I don't feel bad about it. This means you're a lot stronger than in our first encounter, and now you've surpassed me. I see that "Gladiator" title of yours is not just for show."

"All the credit goes for my Pokémon. The power we have comes from the bonds that keep us together," said Ash. "And speaking of bonds…"

In the middle of the cheering, Ash disconnected himself from the world, his sight fixated on the VIP booth where his friends were. Misty and Serena had placed their hands against the glass, trying to see him, both of them smiling in excitement and joy for his victory. And he was happy for that. Not only because he had won the tournament, but because now that he had made it, he felt a lot more confident to do what he had to do. Today was the day, the day to make good on the promise he made to both of them one year before, to give them a proper answer.

* * *

 _ **That night…**_

The celebration for Ash's victory began almost immediately. Aside from the winner's trophy, the prize money he was granted meant he could invite Misty and Serena to the most expensive party hall in the zone, all services included. The rest of the Frontier Brains also came to the party, as well as many of the other tournament participants. Tobias was nowhere to be seen, and while Ash wanted to invite him to, the mysterious trainer said 'parties were not [his] thing' and left shortly after the closure ceremony.

While everyone was having fun in their own particular way, Ash, Misty and Serena decided to leave for a while. Wanting some peace and quiet for a change, the three left for a balcony, taking a moment to admire the night sight and enjoy the nice breeze.

"Hmm… this is incredible," said Misty, feeling the fresh night winds in her face. "We need to come to this place more often."

"So long as you can afford it," said Ash. "We're here only thanks to the tournament's sponsors."

"Then you need to participate in this tournament more often." Misty giggled.

"Don't start now," said Serena, "Ash's done a lot of sacrifice to bring us here. We shouldn't ask him for more."

"I was just kidding," said Misty. "In any case… if we're all here, I guess now's the time for the truth?"

Ash nodded. Misty was totally right; he had promised to give them both an answer, and now it was the time to do it. He had a full year to think it over and he didn't take it lightly: both of them were dear to him, and he at least had the reassurance of knowing that, regardless of his choice, there would be no hard feelings.

"You know, I was thinking… with everything we did this year, I think we can skip the dating and go for something… definitive." Ash pulled out a small box from her pocket.

Both girls felt their hearts almost bursting out of their chests. Did that mean Ash wanted to go directly for an engagement, even bringing a ring? Would he propose to one of them right then and there?

"Well, as you know, I took my sweet time to think things over, and I've finally made up my mind," said Ash. "Do you want to know whom I chose first, or my reasons for it? I think it's fair you know that too."

Serena and Misty glanced at one another with an interrogating expression. That didn't seem as simple as it sounded, though on the other hand, having Ash say the reasons first might help identify whom of the two would be the chosen one. Would they take their chances?

"Start with the reasons," said Misty. "I'm very interested in what you've got to say about that."

"Alright." Ash took a deep breath. "As I said before, you two are my best female friends, and I've grown to care for you like I've done nobody else in my life. It wasn't easy for me to decide, but… well, the one I've chosen, she was someone who was there when I needed her, even if I didn't want to admit it. She always put up with my recklessness, and even if she did make me lose it at times… I never wanted her to be away from me. And to be honest, maybe I did feel some attraction for her from the get-go, even if I didn't know how to express it. What I'm saying is… we were together for a longer time, and I think that's why we grew closer than I imagined." Ash stepped forward and opened the box. Indeed, there was an engagement ring in it. "Will you marry me… Misty?"

With that single word, the decision had been sealed. Serena felt a little sting in her heart, but remained composed. Both of them had made a pact and she fully intended to live up to it. Meanwhile, Misty had to hold back her own excitement, for she too remembered the pact. Serena was her friend and she wasn't going to rub this in her face.

"Before I answer… I think Serena deserves to know why you didn't choose her, don't you think?" the redhead pointed.

Ash turned towards Serena. He could see the sadness in her eyes, but Misty was right. It might not be easy, but Serena had the right to know. Something was clear, it wasn't because he didn't like her or anything.

"Serena… you're great girl, and you'll always be one of my dearest friends ever," said Ash. "I know you and I met before, and that encounter was really special for you. I'm sorry I was so dense I didn't give it as much thought as I should have. But a long time happened since then, we lost contact and, to be honest… I can't just ignore everything I lived and went through with Misty. In fact, I'd dare say that kiss you gave me, made me realize my own feelings for her."

Both girls were surprised at this revelation. Not just Serena, but Misty especially, whose face clearly said she never expected a comment like that coming out of Ash Ketchum's mouth. The trainer took a few seconds to record in his mind the redhead's expression; it was definitely priceless, although he was also preparing his answer to surprise her even more.

"Misty, do you remember that time, in the Orange Islands, when I asked you if people changed when they kiss?" Ash asked.

Misty began remembering. Vaguely, she recalled a pair of Nidoran in love with each other, which evolved into Nidorino and Nidorina after kissing, and when Ash asked that question, she said "Guess we'll have to find out ourselves". She couldn't believe he still remembered that, let alone that he finally got what she meant back then. Well, it took him years to do so, but him being Ash, that was par for the course. At least now he knew. Meanwhile, Serena had no idea what they were talking about, but she decided there would be plenty of time to ask questions later. In fact, she didn't feel bad for this turn of events. On the contrary, she felt happy about helping her friend to realize his own feelings for Misty.

"Well, I think this is it," said Serena.

"I'm really sorry, Serena." Ash sounded apologetic. "You're a wonderful girl, and in other circumstances, maybe I would have fallen in love with you."

"You don't need to apologize," Serena replied. "The pact was that the one who wasn't chosen would support your relationship, and that's what I plan to do."

The Kalosian embraced them both, feeling some tears coming to her eyes. But they were not of pain or sorrow. She couldn't deny feeling a little hurt for not having her feelings returned, but not as much as she imagined. Plus, feeling happy for them made the pain go away. It was better than feeling sorry for herself. Maybe she should have acted sooner, made a bigger effort to earn Ash's affection and be more direct about her feelings. But there was no point in having regrets at what she did or didn't do in the past.

"You'll always be someone important to me, Ash," said Serena. "I'll always remember you as my first love, and the person who inspired me to fight for my dreams. That will never change."

"Same here, you'll always be special to me, Serena," Ash assured. He was happy to see Serena wasn't as hurt as he feared. He greatly valued his friendship with her, and he was glad to see he wouldn't lose it due to this choice.

"It might not be with Ash, but I'm sure there's someone special for you somewhere," said Misty. "After all, how could someone _not_ like you? A girl as cute, talented and sweet as you must have admirers everywhere, am I wrong?"

Serena blushed slightly. True, she wasn't lacking in admirers, but… she didn't imagine herself with someone else other than Ash Ketchum. He was one of a kind, hardly someone else could hold a candle to him. But well, maybe given some time, it wouldn't be bad to give herself a chance.

"Well, well, enough with that before we get depressed," Misty interrupted, as she grabbed the ring. "I think it's time for me to say what I should say, right?"

"Hey, am I not the one who should put it on your finger?" Ash asked, but Misty went ahead and put it on herself.

"Aw, come on, times change," the redhead said. "Plus, you should know my answer to that already, shouldn't you?"

Ash burrowed his brow slightly, and then rolled his eyes. He hoped not to regret his decision, but if he had fallen in love with Misty, he'd have to put up with all the consequences. Of course, he already knew what awaited him if he chose her, and he had accepted it. There was no turning back now. The Cerulean Gym Leader took her time to admire her new engagement ring, and her look turned dreamy, just imagining what this meant.

"Alright, I think it's time." Misty glanced into Ash's eyes. "Shall we seal this engagement how it should be done?"

"Whenever you want," said Ash. "Serena, any objections?"

The Kalosian just smiled. She wasn't going to miss this for anything in the world. Pikachu stepped away as well, to get a clear view of the show. Resting against the balcony's handrail, Ash and Misty faced one another, smiling all the way as they knew what the other was thinking. They leaned in closer slowly and closing their eyes, they softly brought their lips over the other. Serena, meanwhile, thought that, once upon a faraway time, the vision of Ash kissing another girl in the lips would have completely crushed her heart. But now, all she felt in her heart was warmth. The smile in her face was of genuine joy for her two friends. The pact was that she would support the love between them, and she'd be more than happy to live up to it for the rest of her life.

* * *

 _ **Whirl Islands, ten months later…**_

The news of Intercontinental Champion Ash Ketchum getting married expanded faster than the fire of a Rapidash. Reactions were as varied as could be expected of such an event: many were surprised, excited and happy for him, although there was no shortage of pain and disappointment from the many female admirers the trainer had when he announced he was engaged and planned to marry the Cerulean Gym Leader.

The choice for the wedding day came as quite a surprise to Misty, since Ash suggested they should celebrate it on the anniversary of the day they met. For a plus, this was shortly after the celebration of the Whirl Cup in Johto, where Misty took part and won, increasing even more the hype for what many considered the wedding of the year. Many tried to get an invitation and multiple media would report about the event, but among the few who were able to enter were the closest friends, family members and work colleagues of the couple.

As he awaited the start of the ceremony, Ash, already dressed in his tuxedo, had spent some time with his friends, as they arrived one after another. Among them, Brock, whom he had chosen as his best man, and had come along with Pike Queen Lucy; May and Dawn, who dragged Drew and Kenny to attend as well; and Iris, the only one to come alone and who remarked to Ash that "she was glad to see him graduate of being a kid". Among the ones who couldn't attend in person were Cilan, who had gone on a journey with Burgundy; Clemont, who was in the middle of an important business deal with the robotics company Orangics, although he was able to afford a plane ticket for Bonnie, so she could go for both of them (and from what she said, Clemont had a thing for the president's daughter); and last but not least, his Alolan friends, who had to attend their duties at the Trainer School. Nevertheless, those who weren't able to attend in person sent them cards and wedding gifts, as proof of them not forgetting and wishing him for the best.

The biggest surprise was when Serena arrived. The Kalosian had come wearing an elegant green dress that looked a lot like the Pokémon Florges, and she had once again let her hair grow long to make a high ponytail. She hadn't come alone; the invite said that each guest could bring along an escort, and Serena clearly had done it. A young man around the same age as them, with somewhat pale skin, black hair and gray eyes, dressed in a blue tuxedo was escorting her.

"Ash!" Serena called as she saw him. She got his attention, and he ran to greet her.

"Serena, glad to see you made it," said Ash, happy to see her.

"I wouldn't miss my best friend's wedding for the world." The girl smiled. "Oh, and please let me introduce you to someone. This is Calem, whom I've talked to you about."

"Pleased to meet you." The young man smiled and offered a handshake, which Ash gladly accepted. "It's an honor to meet you at last."

"Serena!" Suddenly, May and Dawn showed up too, happy to see her and hugged her without wasting a second.

"Hey, girls," the Kalosian replied.

"So good to see you," said May. "Really, there's so much we need to talk about."

"Ash, if you don't mind, do you think we can take her for a bit?" added Dawn.

"If none of you has any objections," said Ash, glancing first at Serena, and then at Calem.

"No problem. If you want, maybe you can use the time to get to know each other. We'll have plenty of time to catch up later."

Ash and Calem nodded, and Serena left with the two female Coordinators, who had already reserved a place for her during the ceremony. The three had become great friends and exchanged all kinds of ideas for Pokémon Contests, and they planned to maybe face each other in a future Grand Festival, or perhaps to try Pokémon Showcases in their respective regions (they had started to go beyond the borders of Kanto).

In the meantime, Ash was left alone with Calem. The last time they talked, Serena told him she had been invited to deliver the trophy for the latest winner of the Kalos League Conference in Lumiose. That had been Calem, and after that, one thing led to another, and they had started dating a couple months ago. They hadn't gone too far, and they still took their relationship slow, but from what he could see, they seemed to be on a good track. They stared at the trio of girls for a bit, until they finally began talking.

"Serena has told me many good things about you," said Ash.

"Really?" Calem sounded surprised. "She's told me a lot of you too. Actually, I was a bit nervous about meeting you."

"Why do you say that?" asked Ash.

"Why? Just look at you, the Intercontinental Champion, a trainer who fought against Legendary Pokémon and came out victorious." Calem's tone sounded a little jealous, although it was more admiration than outright envy. "I could barely win my first League Conference not long ago in Lumiose."

"Hey, you think it was easy to get where I am now?" Ash asked. "I started from the bottom, I worked hard, doing my best and lost many leagues one after another for years. I might have never come this far without the support of my Pokémon, as well as my friends."

"Including Serena?" asked Calem. Ash stared at him in confusion, so Calem decided to rephrase his question. "If you don't mind me asking… what's the relationship between you two? Were you two once… you know, did you date or something?"

Ash remained silent before answering. It was best to be honest and say things up front, so that Serena wouldn't have any future troubles in what could be a good relationship. After all, she had the rights to that.

"Well, she was in love with me for a long time, and I won't deny I did feel attracted to her too," Ash explained. "But well… when I realized that, I also realized that I harbored feelings for Misty, and things got complicated from that point on. In the end, I had to make a choice."

Calem nodded as he got the message. It wasn't like he felt threatened or something, he just wanted to know. In fact, rather than feeling some kind of complex towards Ash, there was something else he wanted to say to him.

"Hey, this might sound weird, but I'd like… I'd like to thank you," he said. Ash tilted his head in confusion, so Calem continued. "That speech you gave after the Intercontinental Tournament finals, when you received the trophy, it really inspired me. You said that even after conquering that title, you'd work to go beyond and become even stronger, and it really got to me the way you said to the trainers all over the world to never give up on their goals, and no matter how many times they fell, the important thing was to get back up and learn from it to become stronger."

"That's just my life philosophy," said Ash with modesty. "It's no big deal."

"It is for me," Calem insisted. "You know, my whole life I had felt I was a mediocre trainer, a loser. I fought in so many conferences of the Pokémon League, and I never won any of them, no matter how hard I tried. I was about to give up… until I saw that battle. And then what you said, it made me get back on my feet, helped me fight with more enthusiasm, and this time, I made it."

"I see." Ash scratched the back of his head. He wasn't sure as to what to say about that, but he was glad to know his words had inspired someone that way.

"And not only that: turns out that I've always been an admirer of Serena and her Pokémon Showcases. If I hadn't won that competition, I wouldn't have had the courage to approach her and ask her out that day." Calem bowed respectfully. "I'm really grateful, so thank you."

"It's not such a big deal, really," said Ash with modesty. When Calem raised his look again, Ash stared at him and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Serena is a great girl, I know that. Please do your best to make her happy, she deserves it."

"I will," Calem promised firmly.

Ash glanced at Serena, who was still chatting happily with May and Dawn. He was glad to see her that upbeat, and on first impressions, Calem seemed like good guy. Serena wouldn't have accepted to date him if that wasn't the case, of course. Ash hoped he and Calem could become good friends.

As the moment for the ceremony approached, the guests arrived in large groups and took their places. There were guests on the ranks of Gym Leaders and Elite Four members, as well as Ash's colleagues in the Battle Frontier. The VIP seats were reserved for Ash's closest friends as well as his mother Delia. Even though she was the only living close family he had, the others had grown pretty much into a surrogate family for Ash, and even those who had been unable to attend, he could feel they were there, in spirit.

"Nervous much, Ash?" asked Brock, firm on his place as the best man, and wearing his best tuxedo.

"Just a little bit," Ash admitted.

"That's weird, considering you conquered the ultimate title the Pokémon League gives out, and you did it by beating a team made almost in full of Legendary Pokémon," the Pewter Gym Leader stated.

"That's easy for you to say. You're not the one who's about to get married," said Ash.

"Not yet, but as soon as I'm out of here, I will propose to my beauteous Pike Queen." Brock pulled out a small case of his pocket and glanced at Lucy, who was sitting with the rest of the Frontier Brains. The girl noticed, and smiling warmly waved at him. "Oh, my Lucy, how much I've missed you!"

Ash couldn't help but chuckle. All that time he had wondered how he had managed to keep a long-distance relationship, but surprising as it was, the two seemed really happy. Some would think it was incredible that Brock had committed so much to a relationship, and in a way, he inspired Ash to follow his footsteps in his own, since the responsibilities he and Misty had sometimes forced them to spend long periods of time separated. That was another of the things they needed to sort out.

At long last, the music announcing the bride's entrance sounded off. Misty arrived escorted by her older sisters, all of them with their most elegant dressed and their hairs all done. The three had fought over who would get to be the maid of honor, and in the end Daisy won it out. The hardest part was deciding who would escort Misty to the altar, so the older Waterflower sister ended up asking that favor to her darling Tracey. The former Pokémon watcher and now researcher wasn't quite sure about it, but finally ended up relenting and agreed. Slowly, he approached with the bride, who quickly drew the glances of everyone present, and it was no wonder.

Ash took his time to admire his soon-to-be wife. Even if he denied it when he was a kid, Misty was far from being unattractive (save for her explosive temper, which still had some leftovers even now) but that day she looked so radiant and gorgeous, that if he didn't know better, he would find hard to believe this woman was his childhood friend. Misty had let her hair grow long enough to make herself a high ponytail, and her wedding dress was strapless, showing off her ample cleavage and her back, highlighting her beautiful figure. She also wore arm-length gloves, and held her bouquet carefully. As soon as she set her stare on Ash, the redhead smiled as she'd never done before. Never in her life had she felt so happy.

After assuming her place, the ceremony finally began. People remained silent, although the casual observers could easily spot the guests' reactions. Most of them remained composed, but there were those who allowed themselves to cry in joy, especially Ash's mother. Professor Oak, sitting next to her, tried to calm her down, but Delia wasn't ashamed to show her joy, seeing her little boy growing into a fine man, and about to begin a new stage of his life. The ceremony went on without a hitch, until the minister pronounced the words everyone awaited, especially the couple.

"For the power I've been granted today, I hereby pronounce you husband and wife."

Misty didn't wait for Ash to remove her veil; instead she did it herself and threw herself at his neck to give him her strongest and most aggressive kiss. The trainer was caught off-guard and almost fell backwards, but once he managed to get a hold of himself, he returned the kiss in the same way. Of course, it wouldn't be _his_ Misty if she did it in a different way, and that was how he wanted it. The guests erupted in cries of joy and applause, and they immediately left for the reception party. That day they had a lot to celebrate.

* * *

 _ **Later…**_

Nobody would have imagined that Ash Ketchum, known mostly for being an expert in all things Pokémon and their training, as well as a disaster for anything in heart-related matters, would be able to organize such a party for his own wedding. Even Misty herself was surprised that all the while they danced the waltz together, the trainer did so wonderfully.

"So you could do waltz too? You're really full of surprises," said Misty in an amused tone.

"Mom forced me to learn, you should thank her," said Ash, looking over Misty's shoulder towards Delia, who smiled widely.

"Of course I will," said Misty. "Well, this has been fun and all, but I think I need a little rest. Would you be so kind to get me a drink?"

"Sure, go take a seat. I need something to drink too."

Ash let go of Misty and went to get their drinks. The redhead went to take a seat along with her now mother-in-law. Both of them had a lot to talk about now that they were officially family, and that made them really happy.

"I can't believe how much time has passed," said Delia. "It almost seemed like it was yesterday he began his Pokémon journey."

"Same here," Misty added. "Even I find hard to believe how far he's come, and how much he's grown."

"So tell me, what are your plans now?" asked Delia. "Shall we start making a new expansion to our house?"

"I don't know," said Misty. "Don't get me wrong, I'd love to move in to Pallet Town with you, but I can't leave my Gym until I'm sure it's in good hands. And you know how responsible my sisters are about it."

"Well, with his contacts in the Pokémon League, I'm sure Ash can find you a suitable replacement," said Delia. "You both deserve some quality time together as husband and wife."

"That's right, you've earned it." Someone else came up to them. "Delia and Misty turned around to see it was Serena. "I can finally greet you, Ms. Ketchum."

"Nice to see you too, Serena." The woman hugged her. "I really appreciate that you'd come; I know how much it means to Ash."

"I wouldn't have missed my best friends' wedding for the world," said Serena.

"Plus, what did I tell you? You did find someone special after all, didn't you?" Misty pointed at Calem, who had stopped to stalk with Ash and the rest of his friends for a while. He seemed to fit in quite nicely in their circle.

Serena didn't say anything, but smiled warmly. She hadn't dated Calem for too long, and she wasn't still sure if he was that 'someone special' for her, but part of her wanted it to be so. There was no hurry, though, they needed some time to know each other and see if things worked out. In any case, if and when the time came, she'd make sure to invite Misty and Ash when she decided to settle down herself.

Suddenly, a rumbling sound went off, and everyone became alarmed when the ground around them began shaking, more and more violently. Those who didn't go into a panic or grabbed hold of something went to the source, including Ash and the rest of his friends, seeing some cracks appearing on the ground, until it finally burst open, pierced by a giant drill. Indeed, and it wasn't just one drill, but three, and out came what looked like a…

"Here's who everyone was waiting for, so prepare for trouble!" shouted a female voice, amplified by speakers and very familiar for Ash and company.

"And even though we weren't invited, make it double!" Another voice, male but just as familiar, resounded in the same fashion.

"Aw man, not _them_!" Ash facepalmed.

If the voices weren't enough, the machine emerging from the ground was familiar enough for anybody close to Ash to recognize. After all, they had all seen giant robots, and a few of them modeled after that trio or their Pokémon. This one, though, probably was one of the most egocentric they had ever seen: it was modeled after a woman, wearing a wedding dress, but the bouquet seemed to be made of drills and other digging gadgets, which they obviously had used to make their way underground. But the icing on the cake was that unmistakable red-magenta hair, curved in a way that only inhumane amounts of hairspray could achieve. Sure enough, the trio showed up to recite their accursed motto, as usual. Both of them looked like they were having their own wedding: James with a black tuxedo and Jessie with a wearing dress notably skimpier than Misty's, and Meowth in the middle throwing flowers out of a basket.

"Did someone ask something? We're here to find out!"

"Noble answers are what we're all about!"

"The beauty so radiant, the flowers and moon hide in shame; a single flower of evil in this fleeting world, Jessie!"

"The nobly heroic man of our times, the master of darkness fighting back in a tragic world, James!"

"It's all for one and one for all! A glittering dark star that always shines bright! Dig it, while Meowth takes flight!"

"TEAM ROCKET, LET'S FIGHT!"

"MEOWTH, THAT'S RIGHT!"

"WOBBUFFET!" And concluding this, the foursome posed dramatically and ridiculously, to the amusement of many, and shame of others.

"I can't believe this!" Ash shouted. "What are _you_ doing here?"

"What else do you think we'd be doing here, twerp?" said Jessie. "We made it all the way here to congratulate you on your wedding's day, and that's how you greet us?"

"Yeah, to think we even came bringing you a wedding gift!" James added. Ash didn't want to think what kind of 'gift' these three could offer.

"So you can spend time with your darling carrot head, we're offering to take care of all of your Pokémon, permanently!" the scratch cat added.

"Thanks a lot, but we'll have to decline your offer," said Misty. Surprisingly, she didn't seem mad at the nickname, even though years ago she made her real mad when they called her that.

"You think we're giving you a choice?" said Jessie. "Let's see if you can beat our Mecha-Jessie Mark-V! James, Meowth, let's go!"

"Yes, ma'am!" James saluted.

"Here we go!" Meowth exclaimed.

And then, the trio went back into the robot to begin their rampage. Like all Team Rocket-built mechas before it, it was armed with all kinds of crazy gadgets straight out of bad sci-fi movies. Mecha-Jessie began lighting up her eyes and firing a couple of laser beams, causing the crowd to spread out to avoid getting caught in the crossfire. Ash and everyone else began surrounding it; the married couple was especially mad that they had come to disrupt their special day.

"Guys, let's give this trio of idiots a lesson, just like old times!" the trainer yelled, while his faithful partner jumped to his shoulder, ready to battle.

"We're here with you!" said Brock. "Steelix, go!"

"Count on us too!" said May, along with Dawn. "Blaziken, Venusaur, take the stage!"

"You too, Mamoswine, Togekiss!" the bluenette added.

The massive Pokémon in their final evolutionary stages appeared in front of the breeder and the two coordinators, ready for their orders, and watching the mechanic enemy. Inside Mecha-Jessie's cockpit, the Rocket trio stared at them with greedy eyes, and their mouths drooling at their potential preys.

"They _must_ be ours!" yelled Jessie. "Fire the net missiles!"

"Net missiles armed, targets locked on!" James said as he pulled levers and pressed buttons.

"Fire at will!" Meowth pressed the trigger.

Out of Mecha-Jessie's shoulders popped out a couple of missile launchers, which aimed down and fired their projectiles towards May and Dawn's Pokémon. The first who responded was Blaziken, who leaped forward and used his claws to shred the nets that appeared when the missiles exploded, while Dawn's Togekiss began flapping and began blowing wind currents with Air Slash to do the same. Meanwhile, Mamoswine and Venusaur fired a Blizzard/Petal Dance combined attack, although it did little more than knocking the robot off balance without bringing it down.

"Hahahaha! You'll need more than flowers and a fresh breath to take down my wondrous creation!" The female Rocket agent laughed out loud. "And now, let me give you my deadliest glare!"

Upon pressing the button, Mecha-Jessie's eyes glowed again, ready to fire the laser beams. This time, it was Brock's Steelix who stepped forward, glaring back at his enemy.

"Steelix, use Bide!" the breeder shouted.

The metallic snake roared and stood firm, enduring the beams. After a few seconds, he began glowing with a furious red aura, while he focused his own energy into his maw, ready to fire it back. With a powerful cry, the beam was launched back at Mecha-Jessie. The blast made it fall backwards with a loud rumble, but it seemed not to cause serious damage otherwise.

"Stand up, you fools!" Jessie yelled. "It takes more than that to take us down!"

"Emergency thrusters, ready!" James yelled, pressing the activation buttons to right the robot once again. Once it was back standing, more of Ash's friends decided to join in the party.

"We're not staying out of this! Go, Dragonite!" Iris called.

"You too, Scizor!" added Tracey.

Dragonite and Scizor showed up and took flight to begin their attack from the air, while Mecha-Jessie was still trying to right itself. They charged simultaneously with Dragon Rush and Metal Claw, but out of a couple of minor dents, they didn't do anything. What the heck was that Mecha-Jessie made of to take all that punishment?

"Get lost, you stupid bugs, or I'll squish you!" Jessie yelled.

The robot began flailing the arms around, trying to hit the Pokémon. Scizor flew back to dodge, but Dragonite, ever prideful, remained where he was and tried to take the hit. Too bad, since he ended up slammed against the ground, though when he got back up, obviously he wasn't happy. Iris facepalmed; even though he obeyed her, sometimes hadn't changed.

The next thing they saw was a rolling, green and yellow ball, boosted by a Psychic attack, falling on top of Mecha-Jessie's head, but other than making the occupants a little dizzy, it didn't seem to hurt. That had been a combination attack from Serena's Delphox and Calem's Chesnaught, who didn't want to be left out of the show.

"Let's do it again, this time aim for the body!" Calem yelled. "Chesnaught, use Rollout!"

"Delphox, lift him up with Psychic!" Serena shouted.

Chesnaught curled up and began frenetically rolling on the ground, trying to build up enough speed. Delphox used her psychic powers to get him to fly off and hit the middle section of Mecha-Jessie's torso, but the attack was hardly any more effective than the previous one. The robot began shaking around, but it quickly began its counterattack with lasers and missiles.

"Shoot, I left my Pokéballs back at the hotel!" Bonnie shouted as she scrambled around her pochette. She would gladly sic Squishy on them to give them a lesson. Fortunately, it wouldn't be needed.

At the time, a triple combo: Hydro Pump, Solar Beam and Fire Blast hit Mecha-Jessie hard, and this time it shook her a lot more. The ones responsible were none other than Misty's Gyarados, and Ash's Sceptile and Charizard, respectively. The married couple now had decided to step up to the fun as well.

"Messing with all of us at the same time was a big mistake in itself. But doing it during the most important day of my life, during the day of my wedding… I will NEVER forgive you!" shouted Misty, in a strange middle point between being angry and excited.

"It's the last time we'll say this! Get lost now, or we'll send you blasting off so far away, you'll never return!" Ash added, with the same tone.

"Oh yeah? Look how much I'm trembling!" James replied. "Why don't you put your money where your mouth is, twerp? I dare ya to try!"

Ash and Misty exchanged glances. They didn't have a battle together since a long time, and they didn't need to read each other's mind to know what the other was thinking.

"Should we give them everything we got?" asked Ash, pulling out his gloves. Both of them had the Key Stones in the back, as he had kept them from the Intercontinental Tournament.

"For old time's sake." The redhead pressed one of her earrings and opened it to reveal her own Key Stone.

Ash smiled and donned his gloves, pressing his fists and focusing to activate both Key Stones at once. Misty followed suit with her own, and they began resounding with the Mega Stones worn by their three Pokémon, creating a huge show of red, green and blue lights all over the place. Everyone stepped away to get a clear view. Many had seen Mega Evolutions before, but almost nobody had seen three Pokémon experience it at the same time. The three Pokémon roared, feeling the power flow inside them and once the light burst dimmed, they emerged in their Mega Forms, ready to battle. For the first time, the Rocket trio began to feel panic.

"Jessie… I think we've got serious trouble," James mumbled.

"That won't stop us! Fire everything we have!" Jessie commanded.

Mecha-Jessie opened every single compartment all over its body, pulling out cannons, missile launchers, gatling guns and all the rest of the armaments it had, firing off all wildly. Everyone's Pokémon began countering with their own attacks, but especially, Sceptile, Charizard and Gyarados decided to get up close. The Fire Pokémon began with a Flamethrower right towards the robot's torso until it turned red hot. Despite having a heat shield, it quickly reached its limits, thanks for Charizard's flames being boosted by the Mega Evolution. Gyarados used his Hydro Pump to cool it off, creating a thick layer of steam. The real goal, however, was to weaken Mecha-Jessie's armor. Sceptile jumped off and charged with his arms glowing with Leaf Blade, delivering a pair of direct slashes in the middle to leave an X-shaped crack. With that, the machinery was exposed and they had a weak spot to attack.

"Emergency!" yelled Meowth. "We've got a crack and our fuel is leaking!"

"Well, what are you waiting for?! Go fix it!" Jessie shouted. "We're not letting ourselves get beaten now that we're so close!"

"Yeah, close to get blasted off again!" James cried out.

Now with that opening, defeating the Mecha-Jessie would be piece of cake, and the newly married knew exactly how to do it. Pikachu jumped forward and began charging his electric sacks, while Gyarados placed himself right behind. With a single glance they knew what to do. Nothing like finishing them off, together. They held their hands together and looked ahead.

"Pikachu, prepare your Volt Tackle!"

"Gyarados, you do the same with your Hydro Pump!"

While Mecha-Jessie tried to regain stability, Pikachu charged up power and began running, while Gyarados stored water in his jaws, ready to fire. Pikachu jumped high, right in the path of a powerful spiraling water stream. The Hydro Pump had a double purpose: boosting Pikachu's electric attack and turning him into a living projectile for a direct hit through the hole. On top of that, boosted by Mega Evolution, the Hydro Pump's power made Pikachu pierce and come back out bursting out through the back, though not before damaging all of Mecha-Jessie's vital components, while its three occupants inside the cockpit went into a panic and shouted unintelligible stuff trying to regain control, until the inevitable finally happened.

 _ ***BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMM!***_

Mecha-Jessie finally short-circuited and blew in pieces. Team Rocket blasted off again, though this time they blasted off through some ejector seats they had installed in the cockpit to avoid the worst part of the explosion. Unfortunately, they had no way to control the rockets in mid-flight, and they didn't know how far or where they would end up.

"'No ejector seats' you said!" Meowth mockingly said to Jessie. "'We ain't gonna need them cuz this plan is foolproof' you said!"

"I can't believe these twerps beat us again! I hate them!"

"Well, we're not gonna invite them to our wedding, Jess!" said James. "That cake's gonna be all for us! But for now…!"

"TEAM ROCKET IS BLASTING OFF AGAIN!"

"WOBBUFFET!"

And they flew until they got lost in the distance, leaving nothing but a small twinkle behind them. Ash and company waved them goodbye happily. Some things never changed, and one of them, no matter how hard Team Rocket tried, nobody would be able to face them, let alone when they were al together. The guests, who had spread out, now that the danger was over, came back and began cheering and clapping, especially the newly married couple, who just smiled at them.

"Thanks, thanks everyone!" said Misty. "But don't forget this is a party, we've got to have fun!"

"Yeah, bring in the cake, it's time to serve it!" Ash added. Everyone began laughing, while Misty rolled her eyes, seeing that Ash was still thinking with the stomach even now. Then again, she too wanted to enjoy her wedding cake, so she didn't say anything.

The rest of the celebration moved forward without a hitch. Everyone enjoyed the cake, and the upper tier was only for Ash and Misty alone (big enough for ten people at least). At some point, Misty snatched Ash's slice and forced him to say "aaaaaahhhh" to give it right into his mouth. In retaliation, Ash took his chance to wipe some leftover icing on her face, using his lips and a bit of his tongue. That was quite a bold move, and Misty liked it.

At long last, the married couple was ready to begin their lonely return trip to have their wedding night. Everyone else would return in a ferry coming later, but Ash told Misty he had arranged a private transport for both of them alone.

"What are you up to?" Misty asked, still with the bouquet in hand. She was supposed to toss it once the two departed. "You're not planning on getting us to row back there, are you?"

"Oh, please," said Ash. "You think I slacked off last night? I was making a few arrangements with an old friend, so he'd do this favor for me."

"Old friend?" Misty inquired.

Ash said nothing else, he just smiled and winked at her. Misty couldn't imagine what he could be up to, or who could be that 'old friend'. She didn't see any boats approaching in the distance, and the redhead was starting to get impatient, but suddenly, Ash stepped forward and glanced at the water.

"Here he comes," he said.

Misty glanced in the same direction as Ash, but at first she didn't see anything. That is, until she managed to distinguish a dark shape coming in below the water. Did Ash's friend plan to come in a submarine? But before asking any questions, whatever was coming from below surfaced and launched a water stream to rain over the couple.

"Hey!" the redhead cried out, covering herself so her dress wouldn't get ruined. "Ash, what the hell were you…?!"

The redhead cut herself off when she saw who had come. It wasn't a submarine, not even a human. It was a Lapras, big enough to carry around eight or ten people on his back without a problem. Misty first looked at Ash, ant then the Water/Ice Pokémon. Looking closer a few details, like the spots and his eyes, she finally realized.

"Ash… don't tell me… this is your Lapras?" It wasn't really a question.

"What do you think?" said Ash. "I met up with him a few days ago while we were training. Look how much he's grown, I almost didn't recognize him."

"I can see why. Hey, Lapras, good to see you." Misty approached to rub his chin. Lapras squeaked in joy.

"When I told him we were getting married, I asked him if he'd like to take us for the return trip," Ash explained. "I thought maybe you'd like to ride him, just like in the Orange Islands, but just the two of us, so I asked him to come at this hour so we could surprise you."

"A nice surprise," said Misty. "Wow, you really thought of everything, didn't you, Ash?"

"It's the most important day of my life." The boy jumped over Lapras' back along with Pikachu, and extended his hand for her. "Well, shall we go?"

Misty nodded, and saw everyone coming in closer to wave goodbye at them. Especially, the women were ready to line up, in wait for the bouquet toss: among them May, Dawn, Violet and Lily. Bonnie in particular pouted when Misty's sister forcibly pushed her away (for being underage), and Iris came dragging Serena, who seemed a bit reluctant to get into line.

"Don't wait anymore, Misty!" May called out. "Toss it now!"

"Over here, little sis!" added Lily. "I want to get married next!"

Misty giggled, seeing how they had begun fighting amongst each other, while Serena tried to keep her distance, not as eager to get into that brawl about to explode. Pulling in her dress' skirt, she jumped over Lapras and grabbed Ash's hand, who pulled her closer. The redhead glanced at her husband and then at her bouquet. With a nod, she threw her up into the air as far as she could, while the girls jumped to try and catch it.

"Mine, mine, it's all mine!" several voices shouted.

As expected, the bouquet jumped from one hand from the other until it fell directly into the one less expecting it. Serena didn't even move and the bouquet simply went to her hands. The Kalosian seemed as surprised as everyone else, and everyone else noticed her blushing as she glanced at Calem. Misty, even from afar, could notice the Kalosian girl's lips curved in a smile.

"Alright, Lapras, full speeder ahead!" Ash called.

Lapras squeaked and began moving as fast as his flippers could take him, in the middle of the cheering and clapping of all of his friends, sailing away from the island and towards the sunset. Misty almost fell off, but Ash held her tightly and never let her go. He'd never do it again. As she felt the warm marine breeze in her face, Misty couldn't believe she could now call herself Ash Ketchum's wife.

As for Ash, the boy felt quite relieved of having taken a decision. It wasn't easy, and despite having conquered the highest title for Pokémon League trainers in an international level, he felt his greatest challenge was all but starting now. Now it was a marital life with his childhood friend. But well, he always enjoyed challenges, and without a doubt, a new life with Misty would be full of excitement.

The end of an era, and the start of a new one in Ash's Ketchum life. A new stage, and a new adventure.

 _ **FIN.**_

* * *

 **Author's notes:**

OK, now the second ending is covered. If I gave one for the AmourShippers, it's only fair that the PokéShipper side gets is own too, right? I tried to make it different so it wouldn't feel like just minor dialogue changes, so that's why I used different locations for the wedding, the guests, and of course Team Rocket's role. I mean, with that trio, either scenario, whether they're lurking around doing mischief, or reforming and becoming friends with Ash, is still a good source of comedy, isn't it?

Now, about the relationship, the arguments I used here, are based on a video from YouTuber **The RThor** , who offered this interesting interpretation of Serena kissing Ash as a possibility. A little crazy, perhaps, but not implausible, if you think it over. Furthermore, said video pointed to several times that show Ash showed more attraction towards Misty than any other of his female companions, even Serena. And speaking of her, on the other extreme, maybe some will want to kill me for pairing her with Calem. It might be so she doesn't end up alone in part, I admit it, but at this point, they're still in an early stage of their relationship. I'd like to think things will get more serious over time and they can have a happy romance like Ash and Misty, plus it's enough time for her to give herself a chance with someone else. I might explore that in a future story, so that Calem doesn't end up like a simple replacement for Ash, and that Serena appreciates him as his own person. You might have noticed, though, that the pairings of DaisyxTracey, as well as BrockxLucy are canonical to both endings, so I'll say it up front: all of the others mentioned here are also canonical to the previous ending (DrewxMay, KennyxDawn, CilanxBurgundy). I'm sorry I gave Serena a more conclusive resolution in this one than I gave Misty, but I intentionally left that one ambiguous because I actually don't like much her suitors. I don't know what course will take from here on in, I'm open to suggestions. Last, but not least, a special credit to **Suki90,** whose suggestions helped me in developing Ash and Misty's relationship in both versions (regardless of her personal preferences).

Alright, now's the time to officially close this story. Thanks for the reviews to **Harmonious Wolf, MajorBrony95, Pokemon fan, SuperSonicBros123, ManleyTogekiss** and **IEatYourSoul.** For the last one, I'm sorry to say that I'm not making an ending where Ash ends up with both in this story, or one where he chooses neither. Then again, I have a friend who is writing one who does aim for that ending, so if you want one, I could convince him to translate it for you guys. See you next story, bye!


End file.
